Bottled water is under attack again, this time in the States where the mayors of New York and San Francisco are urging people to use tapwater to help save the huge amounts of energy on bottle production.

Paradoxically it is oil at the centre of this issue rather than water. Quoted figures from the Earth Policy Institute show that 1,500,000 barrels of oil are consumed in plastic bottle production annually, and this does not include energy burnt in transport and refrigeration.

Significantly a handful of high profile restaurateurs have begun a trend and have moved to drop bottled water from their menus.

Full article at the New York Times;
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/fashion/12water.html