Bottled Water Sales Head Down the Drain

(NEWSER) - A combination of penny-pinching and environmental concern has pushed bottled water sales off for the first time in at least 5 years, the Washington Post reports. In 2008, consumption of bottled water fell for the first time this decade. “It's an obvious way to cut back,” a researcher says. “People might still be buying bottled water, but you can bet that they're refilling those bottles.” More»

(AP) - The economy is finally beginning to show signs of stabilizing in some parts of the US, bolstering hopes of a broader-based recovery this year. A Federal Reserve snapshot of economic conditions issued today finds that most of the Fed's 12 regions indicated either that "the pace of decline has moderated" or "that activity has begun to stabilize, albeit at a low level." The improved assessment raises hope that the recession, which started in December 2007, is drawing to a close. More»

You jog? You chug? You pay?

(NEWSER) - With bottled water getting bad marks from environmentalists and Chicago eager to green up its act, a city alderman has proposed a first: a 25-cent tax on bottled water. George Cardenas says that not only is all that plastic a disaster, but drinking bottled water cuts consumption of Chicago's own award-winning water, which hits the city in the pocketbook. More»

(NEWSER) - Fresh-food pioneer Chez Panisse has joined a growing number of San Francisco–area restaurants in striking bottled water from the menu. The decision to serve local tap water only—flat or carbonated in-house—comes from an effort to cut down on the packaging waste and energy used shipping bottles. More»