Live Green By The Blue

The media is buzzing with companies like Starbucks, Disney, and Ikea making moves to rid their establishments of plastic straws by 2020.

Social media campaigns like #stopsucking and #skipthestraw, which are backed by numerous celebrities, are starting to pick up momentum, and the public simply cannot ignore the fact that plastic is no longer fantastic. The city of Seattle is the first in the United States, to ban plastic straws and utensils, while proposals have been raised for New York and San Francisco to follow.

So why are plastic straws so harmful to the environment, and how can the beautiful Floridian coastline become plastic free? Made from polypropylene, a petroleum-based plastic, these suckers are tough to dispose of, and they hang around the bars, landfills, and beaches like some unwanted visitor who has outstayed their welcome. According to research, plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species, with 100 million marine mammals being killed every year from this plastic epidemic.

Loggerhead Marine Life Center in Juno Beach states that plastic is destroying the environment and maiming, or even killing, the turtles that swim in the south Floridian waters and nest on the idyllic beaches. Loggerhead organizes volunteer beach clean-ups and offers great conservation tips, so visiting them is a must. (www.marinelife.org)

Plastic straws have been an addiction in this country since 1937, and the problem lies in how to transform the plastic fiends, who collectively consume a staggering 480 million per day. If the use of a straw is an addiction to you, don’t panic. There are eco-friendly alternatives out there, including: a plant based plastic, a retro feel paper straw, or even a pasta straw.

Local bars and restaurants, on the other hand, don’t have it easy because they supply their customers’ demands and probably have a million of these plastic straws hanging out in the store cupboard, planning how their next victims will stir a cocktail or slurp up a beverage. By taking responsibility, it is possible to make it easier on these establishments. For example, ask for a plastic-free stirrer, or politely refuse the plastic straw or cup. If everybody does their part, demands will change from a plastic party, into a eco-friendly one.  

Living by the beautiful coastlines of South Florida is a privilege, and it must be honored and preserved, for a sustainable future. Don’t be a sucker, stop asking for plastic. Pick up the garbage when leaving the beach, and take non-plastic shopping bags to the store. Every step in this direction is part of living green by the beautiful blue. It may just save the oceans and wildlife because losing it all to plastic, would truly SUCK!