Everyone knows it’s a bad idea to spill water on a cell phone, but did you know that it takes more than 3,000 gallons of water to produce one ? Water is needed for mining the metal, making the glue and plastic for assembly and packaging, and then diluting the wastewater used throughout the process. This amount is 10 times the average per capita daily water consumption in China. Semiconductors, the tiny circuits known as chips that power all of our electronic devices — including your phone — are particularly thirsty. Each 30 cm integrated circuit board that holds the...