Changing the way we feel about some things might green up the future

Aug 25, 2012 07:52 GMT  ·  By
Changing how we feel about icky stuff could help protect our planet's resources
   Changing how we feel about icky stuff could help protect our planet's resources

By now, you are probably all too familiar with various studies explaining how a food and water crisis might be just around the corner, given the fact that human society is expanding at ever increasing rates and putting tremendous amounts of pressure on our planet's limited resources.

According so some researchers, one noteworthy solution to these problems could be our changing the way we feel about potential nutrients and water sources which are anything but mainstream.

To be more precise: bugs (which pretty much roam the planet by the gazillions) could be regarded as the appetizers, the main courses, and the desserts of the future, seeing how some of these organisms we more often than not slap with our boots have been proven to contain significant amounts of substances the human body needs in order to function properly.

Wired Science informs us that whereas crickets could potentially be one major source of substances, caterpillars are incredibly rich in iron, thiamin (more commonly known as vitamin B1), and riboflavin (vitamin B2, if you prefer).

Not to mention the fact that, unlike cattle, pigs, chickens, and the like, such insects do not require that major resources go into raising them and getting them fat enough so that they can serve the food industry.

Truth be told, some animals rights activists who have proven time and time again that they are dead-set against meat consumption could very well be the first people to experiment with these new dishes.

As far as coming up with a solution for the water crisis goes, it seems that science has long found a way to turn urine into a liquid which supposedly is far cleaner than anything coming out of your average household tap.

Therefore, provided that one tries not to think too much about what that water has been prior to making its way into one's glasses and bottles, the future could bring us refreshing drinks made out of wastewater.

For those unaware, such recycled-in-the-extreme water is already available in Singapore: their NEWater is purified using both traditional technologies, and some very innovative ones (advanced membrane technologies, and UV disinfection). Moreover, it seems to have surpassed World Health Organization’s requirements.

Things might sound a bit icky for the time being, but there really is no telling where the future might take us.