Singapore's All Wet

Not all of Singapore's water babies harbor such commercial promise. To highlight its prowess at converting wastewater into drinking water, the government created a drink called NEWater and packaged it in colorful plastic bottles. Although it's copiously drunk by Singaporean government ministers, often at media-saturated events like the country's National Day celebrations, brands like Evian and Perrier have little to fear. Singapore's officials are more interested in making a point than a dollar, the point being that water is a valuable, renewable resource.

The country's painstaking efforts to become self-sufficient in water have worked. The first of the water agreements with Malaysia, which expires in 2011, is not likely to be renewed, according to a book sponsored by the Singapore government. Equally important, by using so much of its land to capture rainwater, Singapore has made its citizens environmental stewards who take responsibility for conserving resources. "It's a passion," says Albert Phee, a 49-year-old IT expert who has persuaded his family to turn off the shower while shampooing and reuse the water he washes his car with for flushing the toilet. "Once I've started, I can't stop."