By Ava Azar
It's in a child's lunch box, in a cocktail party beverage or a drink from the local coffee shop. Seemingly small and insignificant, yet so destructive: Plastic Straws.
There are 500,000,000 plastic straws consumed and disposed of every day in the United States. To put this into perspective, if laid end to end, 500 million straws would stretch twice around planet Earth. The volume of the 500 million straws would be enough to fill about nearly 79% of an Olympic Swimming pool!
However, because of their lightweight material, plastic straws are often confused as food pieces for marine life such as the sea turtle. A very powerful video was shared by German conservation biologist, Christine Figgener back in August, 2015. Figgener was leading a research team in the waters of Costa Rica. However, the trip took a turn when they discovered a male olive ridley sea turtle who had a 10-12 cm straw stuck in its nostril. Fortunately, they were able to remove the straw, and safely return the turtle back to his habitat. This impactful video went viral and has reached over 100 Million views since it was shared with the public, raising awareness around the world to how detrimental straws, a single use plastic, are to our marine life.
California has taken action on this issue by becoming the first state in the U.S to initiate a “straw by request” policy, meaning restaurants may only serve straws to customers if they are requested. While this is a way businesses are being part of the solution, individuals can take action by reducing their use of plastic straws and switching to more sustainable alternatives, such as reusable metal or glass straws, or biodegradable options (paper and bamboo), which can help mitigate environmental issues. Our county also implements a “skip the straw” program, which is led by the Ocean Conservatory - their message to the world is, “If you don’t need to drink using a straw, commit to skipping the straw and add your voice to the sea of people taking a stand for the ocean. Sign the pledge now and when offered a straw, simply say “no thanks.”’ It is also impactful to encourage those around you to go plastic straw free! By contributing to these efforts, young or old, we can make this the last straw.
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