Two months ago Alex and I decided to stop using plastic straws completely. We’re always trying to find small ways that we can make an impact on the environment and this seemed like a no-brainer. Over 500 million straws are used DAILY (find out more stats and info) and we didn’t want to be a part of that statistic anymore. Straws are incredibly difficult to break down and most types cannot be recycled. Plus tons of them end up in the oceans causing damage to wildlife. I’m not in the business of harming poor sea turtles.
Honestly I thought it would be a lot harder than it actually was. But it became obvious after the first day just how often plastic straws pop into our lives. And it’s so easy just to say no thank you to a straw, or pass one back through a drive-thru window. I also keep track of just how many straws we’ve saved over the past 60 days. We’ve avoided using 70 straws so far. Not too bad.
Having drinks in the car did prove to be the most difficult thing to overcome. So we purchased these metal straws from Amazon and now drinking on the go is super easy. Plus I really like how cold the metal straws get.
We also don’t try to pressure other people to not use straws when we’re out to eat. I don’t want to become that person who shoves my opinions down other people’s throats. But more times than not, people will skip out of using straws for that meal too.
Now I know it may not seem like we can save the oceans by not using straws, but it’s definitely a start. It’s so easy to feel like the problem is too big and that there’s nothing little old me can do about it. But that’s not true. I’ve saved 70 straws that could end up harming an animal or making the oceans worse. And that feels pretty damn good.
So give it a try. Even if it’s just for a few days, say no to plastic straws. It’s a whole lot easier than you think.
