Save the Planet from 38,000 Straws YOURSELF

Americans use 500 MILLION plastic straws… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. That’s one hundred eighty-two BILLION, five hundred MILLION straws every single year. INSANE RIGHT?!!

Let’s visualize for a sec. Take a school bus for example. This number equals 125 school buses full of single-use straws… DAILY. (Which is just crazy seeing that straws are so small!!) And those ‘buses’ are heading straight to the dump!!!

To put it in individual terms…

Each one of us uses approximately 38,000 straws in our lifetime.

That’s a LOT of straws. And since straws take up to 200 years to decompose in landfills, not to mention many of these straws end up in our oceans as little plastic daggers of death for marine life, do you see how this is MAJOR HERE?

Also, every time you sip on a regular plastic straw, you’re sucking on toxic plastic. So it’s major for everyone here.

So. Even though straws seem so small + like such an afterthought throughout your day, if we each eliminated the thousands of straws we use… do you also see how BIG of a DIFFERENCE this could make?

Even if 25% of us could start eliminating the 38,000 straws we use in our lifetime, that’s MILLIONS of straws that are NOT going to the dump + into our oceans… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

That’s also way less plastic that WE are ingesting.

So. Where do you start? RIGHT HERE.

Take this pledge with me, to stop using plastic straws. Because THIS. IS….

Our environment. Our children. They need us now.

Now, it’s totally cool to start using biodegradable, bamboo or paper straws. But what’s even better, + what will truly eliminate all that straw waste, is REUSABLE straws.

And there’s a reusable straw for EVERYBODY.

First up, metal straws. I prefer metal since they’re so easy to tote around! It did take me a few days to get used to the metal, as opposed to squishy plastic, but now I really do prefer metal. They’re also easy to clean. I throw mine in the dishwasher daily + quickly wash them with a bristle cleaner to avoid mold. My GF’s + I carry these straws around in our purses for on-the-go coffee, smoothies, all of the above. And also restaurants. We have no shame. And when we do pull out our metal straws, it sets a precedent for the people around us.

OK. So what do you do if you don’t like metal? Or, if you’re concerned about the possibility of metal leaching into your drinks? GLASS or SILICONE.

Glass. Glass is hot + cold beverage approved. The thing with metal straws is that they sometimes heat up with hot beverages. So I do like to use my glass straws for my coffee at home, also saves your teeth from stains! They’re also dishwasher + microwave safe! (Metal straws are not microwave safe.) Also, you can literally SEE if your straw is clean on the inside. Glass straws are more sanitary. And they’re old fashioned :) My grandma used to carry hers around in a little case.

SIDE NOTE: if you take Simply Straws ‘No Straw Pledge’ they will send you a FREE glass straw. So SERIOUSLY…. WHY WOULDN’T YOU.

And finally, silicone. These BPA free, food grade silicone straws are the most like plastic straws, feel wise. AKA they’re squishy. If you have kids, these are a must over metal or plastic. They’re also dishwasher safe (with a bristle cleaner) + they can sustain extreme temperatures. You can microwave, freeze + cook with these bad boys. You can even sanitize them in boiling water! Silicone is the most flexible (lol) of all the straw options, as far as functionality goes.

I truly believe this is the first step to being an ecobabe. Eliminating plastic straws is SO easy. You just have to have the right options. And I swear, I’ll never go back. I’m never out of straws, whether I’m on the go or not. These reusable options are easy. They’re functional. And they’re chic!

So, please take the pledge with me + go STRAW FREE. Start spreading the word. Make today the day you use your LAST STRAW. It’s the simplest way to make a big impact on our future. THANK YOU BABES X

+ + Fore more basics tips for the kitchen + home, go here