Going green is hot. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been on a green kick for years now. Facebook even has an application that reveals your carbon footprint, and steps you can take to reduce it. I got lost somewhere between recycling and bamboo flooring that better insulates houses-which is why I decided to “go blue” instead.

I have decided to call the abandonment of bottled water the Going Blue Movement, and I am hoping that it inspires InStyle’s next big trend. In 2006, the average American consumed 27.6 gallons of bottled water, which is up 17 gallons per person since 2000.

And who could blame us? Bottled water offers vitamins that make us healthier, stimulants that give us energy and some x-variable that supposedly makes us lose weight. All of this calls into question what anyone would want to do with fat, cheap tap water, anyway.

I’m here to tell you that if you buy bottled water, you are a sucker paying a premium for a natural resource, and ruining the environment along the way.

Here are the five reasons you should give up bottled water:

1. Forty percent of bottled water is glorified tap water. This means that a good portion of the bottled water you buy comes from a garden hose. Unless a bottle of water specifies “Natural Spring Water” on the label, then it is the same liquid that comes out your faucet.

2. Bottled water costs five times more per unit than gasoline, and 250 to 1,000 times more per unit than tap water. Forget rising gas prices-every time you buy bottled water, you are throwing your money away.

Think about how many extra beers you can buy if you switch to tap water!

3. Bottled water wastes fuel. It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil annually to make the bottles for water (this figure does not include soda bottles). This is the equivalent of a year’s supply of fuel for 100,000 cars. Furthermore, fossil fuels are required to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and transport them on gas-guzzling trucks, whereas tap water utilizes current piping infrastructures.

4. Most water bottles are not recycled. In California, the leading Green state of the United States, only 16 percent of water bottles are recycled. This means on average, 90 percent of water bottles end up in land fills, where they take 1,000 years to biodegrade.

5. We are fortunate to live in a country with excellent tap water. Compared to countries around the world, the United States has a spectacular tap water system, with 50 years of research to prove its benefits.

Scientists have relentlessly tested United States’ tap water and found it safe and its enhanced minerals (e.g. fluoride) beneficial.

In addition, FDA regulations prevent city tap water from containing any traces of E.coli or certain bacteria, whereas FDA’s regulations for bottled water are much less stringent.

(Yes, traces of E.coli and other bacteria are permitted in bottled water!)

In order to successfully abandon bottled water, an investment should be made in a durable, plastic water bottle.

Luckily, Nalgene bottles are almost as trendy as going green, and come in a variety of colors that suit any palate. Further measures can be taken to purify tap water with the purchase of a filter.

Water filters range from $20 Britas to entire systems that use reverse osmosis to remove unwanted chemicals.

These two, easy steps can ensure that you reduce waste and don’t overpay for water.Here is the final challenge: Make sure your eight glasses of water each day don’t come from bottled water.

If you must consume bottled water, recycle. (The bins are everywhere, and they are blue.)

If the entire SLU community works toward this goal, then we will be on the verge of another Billiken Blueout!

Nicole Puhl is a senior in the John Cook School of Business.