Bottlemania!

"Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It" discusses how we came to choose bottled water over tap water despite the economical, social and environmental costs. From the rural springs that supply bottled water, to large cities overwhelmed with plastic refuse, author Elizabeth Royte analyzes the bottled water problem from all angles. As stated on the book's website, www.bottlemania.net, "Ultimately, Bottlemania makes a case for protecting public water supplies, for improving our water infrastructure and—in a world of increasing drought and pollution—better allocating the precious drinkable water that remains."

This book was recently featured on the front page of the New York Times Book Review (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/books/review/Margonelli-t.html?scp=2&sq=bottlemania&st=nyt).

The Garden State is one of the latest additions to the expanding Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network. NJ CoCoRaHS observers provide important information about precipitation that are used by meteorologists, hydrologists, farmers, water resource managers, and your friends and neighbors. Anyone with an interest in the weather or the environment is invited to participate. For more information about how to join, visit www.cocorahs.org and click on "NJ."