The Big Sip

Climate change has been a constant battle throughout the last several decades, especially as it relates to policy and effective change. While it can feel overwhelming wondering when we will see that change, it's important to also think about how we can personally invest in combating climate change, specifically how to mitigate our water footprint. After all, California is an agricultural mecca with an ability of producing a wide variety of crops. Unfortunately, California also has a very largescale water scarcity issue. In fact, 2.7 billion people experience water scarcity at least one month out of the year, globally. As soon as 2025, two thirds of the world's population could experience water shortage due to various exploitations. So how can we conserve more water, beyond taking shorter showers, limiting how often we water our grass, or running water while doing the dishes? The answer: one snack at a time. From the age of 5, Guilherme Maia Silva would venture with his dad out in the fields of Brazil to learn about pests and crop diseases, far before he would understand the importance those moments would have on the trajectory of his education and pursuit towards building a company that tackles sustainability, social issues centered around agriculture, global agriculture practices and water conservation. While studying Plant Sciences at UC Davis, Guilherme proposed the question: why do we use such water intensive crops and ingredients, such as almonds, walnuts, and dairy in our snack? Through his research, Silva came across an alternative seed that was better for our earth and assisted in conserving more water: watermelon seeds. In fact, watermelon seeds have a water footprint 94 times lower than pistachios, 78 times lower than almonds, and 11 times lower than dairy! It was here that he decided to save the planet one snack at a time. Thus Forca Foods was born! Forca foods provides an alternative to snacking to help offset some of that water footprint from our daily lifestyle. The healthy, vegan, gluten free and delicious energy bites only use 4 natural and organic ingredients! So while there's lots of ways you save water, snacking is the latest discovery for those interested in living a more sustainable lifestyle. At the end of the day, what you eat really matters and can make a difference! Interested in supporting the Forca Foods movement to lower our water footprint? Visit their webpage: forcafoods.com and follow along on instagram @forcafoods #happysnacking #happysipping