My friend, Laura Turner Seydel, has been an environmental Nostradamus, especially about the straw catastrophe, for many years. She has been foreseeing the crisis about straws unfolding before most of us ever heard of this bombshell. The straw disaster is now upon us but luckily there are plenty of eco friendly straws to choose from.
Here Are Some Facts About Straws
- One Green Planet, tells us 500,000,000 straws are produced every year.
- A normal restaurant uses 45,000 straws a year.
- Six million straws and stirrers have been removed from beaches at annual events.
- Straws are the main contributor to the almost nine million tons of plastic going into our oceans every year according to National Geographic
- Most tragically our beloved ocean creatures think straws are food and are killing themselves ingesting them as 90 percent of turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and whales are eating plastic and straws.
- Plastic straws remain in nature for many decades.
It breaks my heart to see pictures and videos of these precious sea creatures with straws stuck in their bodies, damaged, and living in pain for the rest of their lives. Not to mention the sea creatures that die from plastic straws.
Fellow Citizens of Planet Earth Stop Using Plastic Straws NOW!
I have been using stainless steel straws for a while now and love them. I keep a bag of them in my purse and share with when we eat together. It is surprising how many other people in the restaurant come by our table and comment on the stainless steel straws, ask where I got them, and then promise they will also begin using them immediately.
Alternatives to Plastic Straws
There are dozens of alternatives to plastic straws such as stainless steel, paper, or bamboo straws or eco friendly straws. I chose stainless steel straws because I was concerned that bamboo straws could eventually get bacteria in the straw. I did not choose paper straws because they also affect the environment if not recycled and they use tons of energy to manufacture and ship.
Stainless steel straws are reusable, dishwasher safe, come with a cleaning brush, are durable, safe to use and BPA free, a great gift to others, and travel well.
Corporations are Saying No More
You and your family can begin today to set a visible example to others about our plastic straw crisis. Many corporations are standing up for our oceans such as Starbucks, American Airlines, Marriot International, McDonald’s and Burger King. They are stopping the use of plastic straws but some will provide one but only if asked for. Please invest in stainless steel straws. They last a very long time and are a gift to our sacred oceans.