Data vs. Dairy: Uncovering the Secret Water Hogs of the Modern World

Nonsense with cj little and Jeff Parker · May 21, 2026 · 32m · transcript

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:45) The Hidden Water Cost of the Things We Consume

(3:00) The Kernels Are Thirsty

(7:30) 40k Gallons of Joe

(9:32) Pools of Evaporation

(12:48) That’s a Thirsty Burger

(15:02) The Back Nine

(17:42) Delicious Chocolate

(19:25) One Gallon per Nut

(21:43) Rice, Rice, Water

(25:30) cj’s recommendation: Bottled Life: Nestle's Business with Water (2012)

(28:15) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The numbers sound big and scary: U.S. data centers consume roughly 228 billion gallons of water annually. But how does that stack up against the things we actually eat…