[VLM]

No commentary about entertainment venues removing/hiding the water fountains and making carry ins (like my refillable bottle) illegal for security theater reasons?

I'm not saying that explains 35 gallons a year unless you go out a heck of a lot more than I do, but it is something of a gateway drug, that once you get used to going to the state fair and spending $7 for a brat and ... $2 for the bottled water to go with it, you're on a slippery slope to buying more bottled water later. Look how cheap the bottles are at the store, why I paid $2 for one bottle at the fair, and I can get a dozen bottles at the food store for $3 what an awesome great deal bottled water is I'm gonna buy some for next time I go out...

[rconti]

It's getting better. SFO, for one, has long-neck water dispensers for filling your own bottle. I've found other airports often have something similar. Of course, you need to think ahead to actually BRING your empty bottle (or dump the water before security), because my first thought when packing is "oh, I can't take my Nalgene because they won't let the water through security". It takes an extra step to say "oh, wait, I can take it through EMPTY".

Of course, it also seems silly to pack a large empty container.

I'm more likely to use a disposable bottle if I'm going to an event, or I'm walking around a city all day as a tourist, and want to be able to ditch the bottle rather than carrying it around empty.

That said, I virtually never buy water, I dislike it on principle and only do so in special circumstances.