Bottled water was considered to be a healthy choice. Everyone wanted to be seen carrying a bottle of the most expensive brand, which promised to be the purest water you could drink. If you were drinking this, it showed that they were trying to be environmentally conscious by only drinking "pure" spring water.

But now, it seems that bottled water may contain more than pure spring water. In fact it may contain a lot of chemicals, some of them that leach into the water from the plastic bottle itself. Phthalates is an ingredient in the plastic that if leached into the water, can possibly cause medical problems. It may also be that it is, for the most part, simply a glorified bottle of tap water, which has been run through an additional filtration system.

A lot of us, who are trying to be economical by washing and reusing water bottles, may be making the situation worse, since more of the chemical is released as the bottle gets older and is used more often.

Ironically enough, the big push to use bottled water, in the beginning, was in direct response to water in the cities, that was considered to be bad tasting and often unsafe. Chlorine and other chemicals made some city water taste badly, and water restrictions and warnings made people feel that city water was somehow dangerous. In smaller cities and communities, nitrate alerts are frequent, and boiling water for use is not uncommon.

Not only is the water in bottles questionable, the bottles themselves are considered an environmental liability. The plastics that the bottles are made from are made from petroleum products, high on the unsustainable list of energy sources. And, the process from which they are made, also increases energy use.

Bottled water that is filled in certain areas must also be shipped some distances from their point of manufacture to areas where it is sold, furthering the need for truck transport, and using even more fuel sources.

The growing trend now is to give up bottled water altogether, and create your own transportable water supply. You can just as easily run your city or well water through a filter at home, and fill stainless steel drink bottles to take along on your walk or ride. Stainless steel is sanitary, reusable, and will not leach chemicals into your drink. They are also more economical, since they rarely need replacing.