In the last couple of years, the Golden State has turned more to a dusty, dry yellow as it is caught in the grips of a historic drought. Officials have taken charge to combat the crisis by instituting statewide cutbacks on water use. But despite their best efforts, there is still a major issue in the form of a tiny nut and its $6.5 billion industry. While Californians are struggling to limit their water use, almond farmers are draining the state of its groundwater to support the growing industry. With almond growers and investors showing no signs of limiting their activities, the responsibility falls on the public to cut its consumption of California almonds in order to decrease their demand and preserve California’s water.

Since roughly 2005, the consumption of almonds has skyrocketed in the U.S., so much that it the almond dethroned America’s long-time favorite, the peanut, as the country’s most popular nut in 2014. Their demand has also been strengthened by an unprecedented growth in popularity in China. While the widespread popularity of a trendy, healthy snack seems harmless, that carton of almond milk or bag of nuts prove to be more nefarious when you realize that it takes a gallon of water to produce a single almond. Also, the total California almond industry, which produces about 80 percent of the world’s almonds, requires more than one trillion gallons of water a year.

One might think that with Californians being expected to decrease their use of water, hundreds of wild elk dying of thirst and bodies of water decreasing to fractions of their normal area, almond growers might think twice about planting new almond trees. However, that is not the case. Despite the drought conditions, the majority of California almond farmers are still determined to expand the industry and plant more almond trees. I believe that this demonstrates a disappointing lack of social responsibility on the part of almond farmers. But who could be surprised when they are tempted by returns as high as 30 percent? I, for one, am not.

When given the option, any business owner would likely choose the more profitable course regardless of its implications.

Unfortunately, population on the East Coast have little ability to combat California’s drought. We cannot mail water across the country and we certainly cannot control the weather and send them rain. But as consumers, we do have one power. We can help to decide which products make money and which do not.

So I plan to stop buying almond products and I encourage you all to do the same. Then maybe, when their profits sink, almond farmers will reduce the cultivation of their crop. Until this crisis is over, I can stand to eat walnuts or help the peanut take back its place as top of the nut hierarchy.

And I can switch back to cow’s milk. It is creamier anyway.

While the drought is a complicated issue and the boycotting of almonds will not solve everything, I believe it is a step in the right direction, even if it is just to show the almond industry that we will care about California’s well being when they will not.