Cold, Refreshing Drinks

With the temperatures nearing 70 degrees all of a sudden, it's time to think about sensible hydrating.
Only that doesn't sound very tasty. What I mean, of course, is cold, refreshing, water-based drinks.
It's also time to think about sensible approaches to hydrating, if you are so inclined. By sensible approaches, I mean inexpensive, healthful and friendly to the earth.
Whoops. That rules out drinks in plastic bottles!
Darn, because both Coke and Pepsi just introduced "healthy sparkling beverages," fortified with vitamins and minerals, to appeal to customers growing ever more wary of the synthetics and high-fructose corn syrup and whatever all's in the regular stuff. (Slogan: "Now with more stuff! Good for you! Please?")
But customers are even warier of this new ploy, to judge from a comment thread at the New York Times today. (And I was lying when I said "Darn." You knew that.)
So, what to do?
I know. You're on the run. No time to prepare a lunch to bring to work, much less something to wash it down with. That's when those refrigerated cases with the dizzying choices of waters and colas and fruity somethings look so convenient.
But: Not inexpensive, not healthful and not friendly to the earth.
Among the choices in the cooler, water is your best bet for health, but how stupid is that? Paying for water in a plastic bottle?
Someone I know who grew up carrying around bottled water — so chic, so urban, so sporty! — once spent some time when she was in her late teens at her grandmother's home. She was appalled that the only water in the house came out of a spigot. It seemed so, so — primitive! And, kinda, y'know, "ew."
Did she want water that came out of an artesian well? A glacial spring? See, that's primitive.
No, all she wanted was modern water that came out of a bottle. We didn't have the heart to tell her the water used by the bottlers comes out of a spigot.
So how do you get around the plastic bottle problem?
Well, yeah, you could use the water cooler at work. But you might want something tasty with a whiff of "good for you." (Stay with me; this is gonna be easy and cheap.)
First, get a Thermos. Buy it once, and reuse it forever.
And then, each night before work or school, add something to the cold water in the Thermos to make it delicious.
Lemon wedges.
Crushed slices of cucumber.
Orange segments.
Bruised cilantro leaves.
Or try brewed green tea, or some other flavor.
Bonus! You can also use the Thermos for hot beverages. Like coffee.
(As if anyone brews their own anymore; everyone knows it comes in paper cups with plastic lids.)