I’ve been going to a cute little coffee shop down the street from my apartment, and the other day I noticed a sign about plastic straws. The sign was talking about why they are terrible for the environment, the negative effects on the ocean, and how, as humans we can (and should) use alternative methods to better the world we live in.
The sign made me think. And so, when I got home, I started researching. And I stumbled across this article by Harriet Stark that went in depth about why plastic straws actually suck. Here are the main things all of us need to take note of:
1. Plastic straws actually made the top ten list of things picked up on a beach during clean-up.
2. This scuba diver, Kasey Turner, found 319 straws while snorkeling for 20 minutes in Manly, Australia! She went back later that day and found 294! What?!?
3. Plastic does not break down. They also contain BPA, so they can’t be recycled.
4. Straws are incredibly damaging to not only the environment, but the ecosystem – the animals especially! Here’s a heart-wrenching video of a sea turtle getting a straw pulled from his nose. ☹️
Okay, so what can we do?
If you’re like me, and now totally concerned and wanting to do your part, here are a few (easy) ways to reduce your plastic use and foster a safer, cleaner world.
1. Switch plastic for paper or steel.
Instead of opting for the crappy, one-use-and-toss plastic straws, switch and use a paper one. (This is a single use, but it can be recycled rather than tossed!) Or, better yet, get a steel straw – keeps your beverage colder and easy to wash/reuse.
2. Opt for sips sans straw.
Do you really need a straw for that drink? If there’s no option for reusable, then just drink right from the glass!
3. Join the movement to support the environment.
The goal of the ‘1 Million Women’ website is this: “We’re building a movement of strong, inspirational women acting on climate change by leading low-carbon lives. To make sure that our message has an impact, we need more women adding their voice. We need to be louder. Joining us online means your voice and actions can be counted. We need you.”
Click HERE to join.
Want to learn more about quitting plastic? Read this.
Featured/Body Image Credit: Harriet Spark