Ann Arbor residents and visitors are now able to help promote water bottle reuse by sharing photos of "where in the world" they are using the city's specially imprinted reusable water bottles.

From Gallup Park to Greece, people can post their photos of A2H2O water bottles to a Google-based Panoramio world map at www.panoramio.com/map/?tag=a2h2o, linked to www.a2gov.org/A2H2O.

This effort to increase awareness of refilling water bottles with tap water is being launched in connection with the University of Michigan's Winter 2011 Water Semester, www.watersemester.com.

A selection of various A2H2O imprinted stainless steel and plastic water bottles and imprinted bottle wraps are sold for $1 to $5 at the city's Customer Service Center, 220 E. Huron, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A special commemorative UM LSA 2011 Water Semester A2H2O stainless steel water bottle will be available at many UM campus water events this winter and is also being sold for $5 at the city's Customer Service Center, while supplies last.

Details of A2H2O paraphernalia and the Web map project are posted at www.a2gov.org/A2H2O.

Disposable water bottles generate substantial waste. According to the Story of Bottled Water author Annie Leonard, www.storyofbottledwater.org, half a billion disposable water bottles are consumed in the U.S. -- enough waste to circle the globe over five times -- each week. Millions of tons of carbon dioxide result from plastic water bottle manufacturing and disposal each year. The recycling industry's Container Recycling Institute reports that only 12 percent of America's water bottles are recycled, resulting in 840 bottles sent to landfills every second. The A2H2O bottle map demonstrates that consumers can do better. Refilling water bottles  cuts down on unnecessary waste.

The city of Ann Arbor promotes refilling reusable water bottles with municipal tap water. Tap water is not only a bargain at less than a penny a gallon, but it is more stringently regulated than commercially bottled water.