Wonderwater illustrates the water footprint of food

For Finns, limited access to drinking water seems like an unfamiliar and distant problem.  However, on a global scale only 1% of water is drinkable and an overall shortage of water is a growing problem.  According to UNESCO, the need for water is expected to increase by up to 50% in rapidly developing countries over the next 20 years.

Water is not only consumed in functions that are clearly related to everyday water use but also in many other connections, such as industry. In addition to the water used personally by each Finn, domestic industry consumes 30 times that amount for every person. Up to 92% of all water used in the world goes into food production.

The Wonderwater Café event in Beijing examines water consumption by calculating the water footprint of a restaurant meal in the same manner as the more familiar carbon footprint is calculated. Matti Kummu from Aalto University’s Water and Development Research Group counted the water footprint for the dishes the University´s young designers Iina-Karoliina Välilä and Tiina Koivusalo selected for the menu.

“We wanted the first Wonderwater project to focus on the water footprint because it’s a complicated issue where design can inspire people to find and implement sustainable solutions. What we eat can really make a difference,” says Jane Withers, curator of the event.

During Beijing Design Week, the dishes on the menu at Tian Hai (Heaven and Sea) restaurant will be marked with their water footprint, allowing customers to decide how that information influences their choices. The concept developed by Withers and Helsinki Design Week founder Kari Korkman will be part of the design capital programme in 2012.