Message in a bottle

"So, with her reusable plastic Nalgene bottles dry and her son Charlie working up a thirst in an indoor playground, she broke down and bought a bottle of water. To most people it would be a simple act of self-refreshment, but to Ms. Pollack it was also a minor offense against the planet — think of all the oil used to package, transport and refrigerate that water.

“Something about it felt like a betrayal,” said Ms. Pollack, who otherwise does not consider herself an ardent environmentalist. She said she decided to stop buying water after hearing friends talk about the impact of America’s bottled water habit. And now she is doing what she can to spread the word." (thanks D.)

Dropping the bottle habit needs clean tap water, a state responsibility. State? What state? Tap water quality in Lebanon is one of the worst in the world. Supply is intermittent and water has to be stored in roof top reservoirs open to contamination. Pipe network is also corroded and contaminated from sewage pipes (also corroded). Water is also heavily chlorinated, and while this reduces the bacterial load, it is a problem of its own.