Pure water and a pure environment.

• Position: WHAT'S NEW? - Product/service evaluation - Brief article

If you think back to even a decade ago, it's doubtful anyone would have imagined that everywhere you look, people would be drinking bottled water--and we're not talking about the expensive, imported brands, drawn from springs in France. The market has exploded with locally-bottled brands that can be purchased anywhere, from supermarkets to ball games to even fast food restaurants.

Gone are the days when kids filled their own reusable containers with water to take to soccer tournaments or baseball practice-now they just reach in the fridge and pull out a disposable bottle. Trouble is, our landfills are loaded with plastic that will be around for generations. The problem has gotten so serious that many localities are considering bills to add a deposit to water bottles as well carbonated soft drinks. When you consider the resources that go into recycling these containers, it makes even the least-conscientious of us think that there's got to be another way.

For those among us who do not feel comfortable drinking...