Spin the (water) bottle

Americans spent an estimated $11 billion last year drinking 8.3 billion gallons of bottled water, according to Beverage Marketing Corp., the leading compiler of facts and figures about the beverage industry.

That means the average American consumed almost 28 gallons of Aquafina, Dasani, Evian or hundreds of other brands that comprise the up to $100 billion global market for bottled water.

So great is our thirst for the stuff that Americans now drink more bottled water than any other commercial beverage except carbonated soft drinks -- more than milk, more than coffee, more than beer.

And the trend shows no sign of abating. Both the amount spent last year on bottled water and the amount consumed represent nearly 10 percent increases from 2005.

from the San Francisco Chronicle