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We might have just passed a turning point, where more of us realize the evils of plain old bottled water:

On a recent family vacation in Cape Cod, Jenny Pollack, 40, a novelist and public relations associate from Brooklyn, did something she knew she would come to regret. She did it on the spur of the moment. She did it because she felt desperate.

Besides, the giant illuminated Dasani vending machine was just standing there, like a beacon.

So, with her reusable plastic Nalgene bottles dry and her son Charlie working up a thirst in an indoor playground, she broke down and bought a bottle of water. To most people it would be a simple act of self-refreshment, but to Ms. Pollack it was also a minor offense against the planet - think of all the oil used to package, transport and refrigerate that water.

"Something about it felt like a betrayal," said Ms. Pollack, who otherwise does not consider herself an ardent environmentalist. She said she decided to stop buying water after hearing friends talk about the impact of America's bottled water habit. And now she is doing what she can to spread the word.

Not only does this issue include bottling public water (i.e. Dasani and Aquafina), but the use of oil to create and transport the plastic:

It takes 1.5 million barrels a year just to make the plastic water bottles Americans use, according to the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, plus countless barrels to transport it from as far as Fiji and refrigerate it.

With recent public campaigns by the mayors of San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and New York City urging citizens to opt for regular tap water vs. bottled water, the guilt factor is starting to kick in.

It goes on:

This added momentum to efforts by environmental groups like Corporate Accountability International and Food & Water Watch, which have been lobbying citizens to dump the bottle; environmental organizations had banded together in several states to pressure governments to extend bottle bills to include bottled water. Several prominent restaurateurs, like Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., made much-publicized moves to drop bottled water from their menus.

Join the movement and stop buying bottled water! Instead, go for a resin-lined aluminum SIGG bottle or a Kleen Kanteen Water Bottle that is dishwasher safe.

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