Bottled water is not only a ripoff, it's environmentally unsound. Between the plastic in the bottles and the draining of aquifers in one region and transporting it elsewhere, it isn't sustainable.
And this doesn't even get into the cost of purchasing what is essentially free (granted your tax dollars pay for municipal supply).
As for the water bottles... those of you using Nalgene, or similar products, should be aware of the possible health risk associated with certain types of plastics. The hard, clear, polycarbonate plastics like those found in many Nalgene bottles has been labelled as, "toxic to human health" by Health Canada. The thing to look for is the #7 in the recycling symbol on the bottom of your plastic bottles (most off the shelf water bottles are #1 type plastic).
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Originally Posted by wikipedia
In recent years, studies[3][4] have suggested that polycarbonate plastics such as the ones Nalgene used may leach endocrine disruptors. Nalgene denies that the quantity leached from their products posed a significant threat to health.[5] Among the secreted chemicals, Bisphenol A (BPA) is an area of concern as it binds to estrogen receptors, thus altering gene expression.[6] Other research has found that fixatives in polycarbonate plastics can cause chromosomal error in cell division called aneuploidy. Nalgene claims these chemicals are only potentially released from Nalgene products when used at temperatures outside of the designed range.
In November 2007, Mountain Equipment Co-op removed all hard, clear polycarbonate plastic water bottles (including Nalgene-branded product) from their shelves and no longer offers these items for sale. In December 2007, Lululemon made a similar move. In May 2008, REI removed Nalgene-branded polycarbonate water bottles and replaced them with BP-A free Nalgene bottles.
An alternative is available in the polyethylene versions of these products (made out of HDPE, Nalgene's traditional material), which are free of these chemicals. They can be identified by their greater flexibility, by their translucent, "milky" appearance, and by the number 2 triangular plastic recycling symbol on the bottom, rather than the number 7 on a polycarbonate bottle.
On April 18, 2008, Health Canada announced that Bisphenol A is "'toxic' to human health".[7] Canada is the first nation to make this designation.[8] On the same date Nalgene announced it would phase out production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers containing the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA). Nalgene’s current product mix, includes the recently launched Everyday line and the original polycarbonate bottles made from materials that do not contain BPA.
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