Let's use the Good Morning America show this morning about mountains of plastic water bottles filling up landfills, as a discussion starter to talk about trash and money saving alternatives to bottled water.
I already have an in-sink water filter installed, which I purchased at Home Depot. Its great - yummy clean water right there in the sink - easy peasy.
I understand its not a good idea to re-use the disposable water bottles because they are hard to clean and can harbor bacteria. Nalgene type bottles made from Lexan Polycarbonate (those pretty colorful ones) may not be the best choice either- some people are saying they can leach chemicals out over long periods of use. The best bet, according to the plastic bottle pundits, such as The Green Guide, is wide mouth re-usable plastic bottles made out of HDPE and LDPE plastics such as these, from Nalgene-Outdoor.
Something interesting, I came across while researching this - a French Press Insert for your Nalgene water bottle perfect for brewing coffee out in the field. Brew Coffee in Your Nalgene Bottle - From Army Times.