Taxpayer money for bottled water? No more.

Our nation's mayors signed a bill to stop using taxpayer money for bottled water, and instead have settled for tap water in an effort to decrease their impact on the environment. 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008013930_water24m.html

Most of us could go one step farther by remembering to bring a covered plastic mug to meetings, conferences, etc., and use the water fountain or water pitchers provided. We can reduce that mountain of plastic water bottles one can imagine is produced daily simply because of convenience. Of course, now we have to watch out for BCP's in the plastic. REI is now selling a BCP-free Nalgene style water bottle. And everyone should take care to never put hot liquids in thin plastic containers, as the plastic elements melt into your food and drink. That's just common sense. Same with microwaveable containers. Better to place your food on a microwave-safe dish. If there is a lot of food and you don't want a mess, cover the top with a large dish or bowl -- no need to use another piece of plastic. 

Interestingly enough, bottled water became popular when the soda industry was trying to provide a healthy alternative to sugary soft drinks. Diet sodas, with their synthetic sugars, are not so healthy: the acidic content can harm the stomach lining as well as tooth enamel, and the sugars are actually sweeter than real sugar and trigger sugar cravings and hunger cravings that make it difficult for people to manage caloric intake overall. Somehow, we missed the thought that tap water and filtered water fountains might just provide what we need. 

I don't think we need to boo-hoo over the $15 billion the soda industry will lose over this. If I understand food and drink industry correctly, they will simply create another item, and try to convince us that we need it.