I'd like to, but the tap water here is just nasty. I have a filter at home. I guess I'll get something for the office too.

Second that!  I live in an agricultural area.  The stuff in my tap water is toxic.  According to our annual water report, we have ARSENIC near unsafe levels, among other things.  Thats just not safe.  Don't want to take the risk of drinking water that may lead to cancer later in life.  Thats why I prefer filitered or bottled water.  I don't understand when people promote tap water as safe as bottled.  In some areas in the country, the water isn't healthy to drink. 

I was the the Water Club organizer at work and I fielded questions about the plastic water bottles.  We looked into it and came to the following conclusions:  1) there is less surface area to water ratio in the water service bottles than in plastic bottles, so the people who drink from plastic bottles should not be at additional risk and 2) it's still water in plastic.  With the budget the way it is, we gave up the water service.  A co-worker brought in a Brita filter and we all use it instead and kick in a few buck for the filters.  The irony is that no one worries about the water being in the Brita plastic filter.  That could be due to residency time, though.  A box of four filters lasts a year, so it's pretty inexpensive.  Depending on what type of water you get at your office, it may not be as filtered (carbon vs. reverse osmosis), but it'll help with the taste.

This video was just released by the same filmmaker who did "The Story of Stuff". I love her videos... full of really great information presented in concise and entertaining formats. If you have eight minutes, I think she provides a really thorough answer to your question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0

Thanks for that video NS.  I'm gonna post it on my fb page.  :)

Hm.  She didn't mention plastics touching water, but that was interesting.  It seemed like there was a little bit of spin on it, but I'll buy the message.  For instance, a lot of water is bottled locally.  Probably most bottled water companies drill their own well and then treat the water with reverse osmosis.  It's different than "tap water".

Many times the reason tap water tastes bad is because of the pipes on the receiving end.  I work in a sick building and we don't trust the pipes.  Plus, the water in the hallway drinking fountain backs up when toilets are flushed, which is disgusting.

Our carpet is duct-taped, the ventilation system breaks down a lot, only two electrical outlets work in our kitchen, the elevators are perpetually broken, one of the toilets in the men's restroom has been out of order for a year, the drinking fountain backs up when a toilet is flushed, and the list goes on.  And the water from the faucet tastes wholly disgusting.  I used to live in the city in which I work and the water tasted fine.  It's the building's ancient pipes that add the flavor.