The fuss about the consumption of bottled water is getting louder and even some who are not conscious of their personal environmental impact are starting to notice. In short: bottled water is excessively consumptive, polluting, expensive and wasteful. And with the dramatic increases in consumption of bottled water, the overall effects on the environment are skyrocketing as well. Here are some figures:

Bottled water:

• takes almost 7 times as much water to produce as there is water in the bottle.
• uses about 1.5 million barrels of oil each year just for the production of the bottles. That’s about the amount of oil required to run 100,000 cars for a year.
• uses additional oil for the transportation of the product.
• produces about 1.2 pounds of greenhouse gasses per 1L bottle.
• over 80% of plastic water bottles are NOT recycled and end up in landfill.
• causes water shortages for communities near some water bottling plants.
• is not held to the same stringent safety guidelines that tap water is.
• can cost thousands of times more money than tap water - up to 10,000 times as much.
• is, in some cases, just tap water in a bottle.

As the consumer, you, as always, have the power of choice. And there are several good ones.

In terms of the water itself, you can drink tap was as is, or filter at home. You have the option of a simple filter on your tap, all the way up to a reverse osmosis set up. We use a tap filter and are quite happy with it. Our city water is chlorinated, of course, which has the benefit of protecting us from pathogens and keeping the distribution lines clean. We have filters in the kitchen and the showers to remove the chlorine, any odour and some trace chemicals. I feel safer with that set-up than I do with bottled water. Our water tastes really good and is better for our skin and hair.

As for what you are going to put the water in when you leave home and take it with you - again, you have the power of choice, but the obvious answer is a good, durable, easy to clean, reusable bottle of some kind. There are lots of plastic bottles available, but I recommend avoiding those produced with Bisphenol A, which has recently been banned in Canada. Also, it may not be a good idea to reuse the bottles that bottled water comes in, as the type of plastic they are made of may encourage the growth of bacteria, and they may leach toxic and carcinogenic chemicals into the water they hold. Nice.
About a year ago, I began keeping an eye out for some kind of stainless steel water bottle, as that seemed like a safe and durable material. I never did find any, though a quick Google search shows that they are available. What I did find was SIGG bottles. We have three of them now and I’m really happy with them. Made of aluminum, they are lightweight and durable and come plain or in gorgeous designs, whatever your preference. And while they are not technically thermal bottles, they do keep the contents nice and cool for a good long while. They impart no flavour, leaving my filtered water tasting fresh and clean. They are not cheap, but what price good health and a clean environment?
Because of the cost, I actually budgeted for them. I wanted one for my 11 year old first… that was going to be about $25 dollars with tax. So, I was extra careful with the groceries and when I had saved that much, I got a bottle for him. His is shiny blue with a beautiful dragon design. I explained to him why we were switching bottles and that, plus his love of dragons meant that the SIGG bottle was an instant hit. Eventually, I got two more and we take these bottles everywhere. I toss them under the stroller when we go for a walk or to the park, we take them in the car and in backpacks when we hike. We even take them with us when we are just out in the yard. They are absolutely worth the cost. Jordan, who has always refused to drink water, empties this bottle whenever I fill it and give it to him. Eleven years and I finally have the solution. A safe and environmentally sound solution.

Sources:
http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/askpablo-exotic-bottled-water-002401.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/reasons_to_ditch_bottled_water.php#ch05

There is an update to this post here.