55 Restaurants Go #StrawFreeWithLMC on Earth Day 2019 and LMC to attend the Great Give CityPlace Takeover on April 24

In honor of Earth Day, Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is partnering with 54 restaurants that have agreed to refrain from offering plastic straws to their patrons and/or use non-plastic alternatives on April 22.

The #StrawFreewithLMC campaign includes restaurants adjacent to the 9.5 miles of sea turtle nesting beach patrolled by LMC. It is open to other restaurants interested in participating as well.

If you are in Palm Beach County, LMC invites you to visit participating restaurants, thank them for going #StrawFreewithLMC and encourage your favorite restaurant to join LMC’s Earth Day celebration.

“Several of our restaurant partners have either eliminated plastic straws or have adopted a ‘straws upon request policy’,” said Katie O’Hara, Conservation Program Coordinator at LMC, “This is a great first step. Working together, we can all help protect sea turtles and other wildlife by reducing straws and other single-use plastics throughout the year.”

The goal is to increase awareness so that this can include more restaurants in the future. Since LMC launched the first#StrawFreeWithLMC Earth Day campaign in 2018, many of its restaurant partners have taken steps to eliminate plastic straws, and/or have adopted a "straws upon request" policy year-round.

For more information about this initiative, contact Katie at kohara@marinelife.org.

LMC is also participating in the Great Give CityPlace Takover on April 24. This 24-hour community-wide event celebrates the spirit of giving and raises proceeds for local nonprofits. LMC representatives will be on Hibiscus Street in Downtown West Palm Beach from 4-7 p.m. for a fun night of philanthropy, education, information and activities.

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About Loggerhead Marinelife Center:

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The Center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The Center’s conservation team works with 76 local and international organizations across six continents to form partnerships and share conservation initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The Center is expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress capital expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For more information, visit marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280.