Colorado Reader: Every Drop Counts! 2023-2024: Issue 2 | Page 8

How Much Water Does it Take ?

Everything we use every day comes from agriculture or natural resources . And it takes water to produce those things . Plants and animals need water to grow . It takes water to extract minerals from mines . Even preparing and cooking the food we eat requires water . Let ’ s explore how much water it takes to produce items we use everyday . Answer the following questions and make your own guesses for how many gallons it takes to produce one pound of each item . Then try stumping your family members and friends with these questions .
1 . It takes 109 gallons of water to produce one pound of peaches . How many gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of lemons ? Answer Higher , Lower , or About the Same .
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2 . It takes 193 gallons of water to produce a pound of bread . How many gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of pasta ? Answer Higher , Lower , or About the Same .
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3 . It takes 122 gallons of water to produce a pound of milk . How many gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of boneless beef ? Answer Higher , Lower , or About the Same .
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4 . It takes 26 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes . How many gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of lettuce ? Answer Higher , Lower , or About the Same .
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Bonus : How many gallons of water are needed to manufacture one car ?
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DiscoverWater . org

Water touches every aspect of our lives — the cells in our bodies , the food we eat , the recreational activities that we enjoy , the weather and much more ! DiscoverWater . org is a selfdirected educational resource about different water topics — ranging from global to personal perspective — which together reflect many of the complex and important roles of water in our lives . DiscoverWater . org is designed for use by children ages 7-12 and for educators and parents of this age group , both in and out of a classroom setting . Although targeted for tweens , learners of all ages enjoy playing games on DiscoverWater . org !
The Colorado Reader publication is an Agriculture in the Classroom project of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture . The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture ( CFA ) is a 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit education corporation and works with industry partners to help meet our shared vision of advancing Colorado agricultural literacy . We provide Agriculture in the Classroom resources and programs to Colorado educators and students , many of which are FREE or at minimal cost . For more information or to make a donation to support agricultural literacy education programs , visit www . CoAgClassroom . org , or contact Jennifer Scharpe , Colorado Foundation for Agriculture , 10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224 , Westminster , CO 80260 , 970-818-3308 , Info @ CoAgClassroom . org .
Financial support for this Reader provided by :
And the Adopt-A-Classroom program .
Answers : 1 . Lower ( 77 gallons for 1 pound of lemons ); 2 . Higher ( 222 gallons for 1 pound of pasta ); 3 . Higher ( 441 gallons per pound of boneless beef ); 4 . About the Same ( 28 gallons for 1 pound of lettuce ); Bonus : 39,090 gallons of water to 1 car
8 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom