Hello my friends! Last week was Thanksgiving, and I spent the entire week with my family! It was marvelous. We played games—particularly Code Names [affiliate link], took some gorgeous family photos, snuggled with the family dogs, ate a lot of food, and had so much fun.
This week, I want to share with you something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately—plastic. I cringe at how many times we touch a plastic item in our daily lives. When I’ve seen news stories of birds and marine animals found dead with stomachs full of plastic waste or that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, I wonder if some bottle cap, plastic wrapper, or bread clip I have thrown away is among the pieces that contributed to an animal’s demise.
Particularly this past year, I’ve been looking for ways to reduce our plastic consumption at home.
My friend Laura Bailes—actually, she’s my brother’s girlfriend—is a marine conservationist, and is currently developing a campaign with her colleagues to reduce plastic use. This campaign, named The Strawgle, is based around one single plastic item—the straw—so it is easy to focus on. According to Laura, every day in the US, 500 MILLION straws are used for about 20 minutes, and then thrown away. They cannot be recycled, and often make their way into nature. There, they wreak havoc on animals (remember that video of a turtle who got a straw stuck in its nose? [Warning: the video may be disturbing to some people]), or break down to be absorbed by small plankton, which in turn are eaten by larger animals . . . which may eventually reach our dinner tables.
There are some great plastic straw alternatives out there, like stainless steel, bamboo, glass, and biodegradable versions. Laura carries a bamboo flatware set with a metal straw wherever she goes; it fits neatly in her purse, and she can reduce plastic use wherever she goes! It’s amazing how simple actions like using plastic straws, or NOT using plastic straws can have great effect on a large scale.
It’s a little early for New Year’s resolutions, but I’m already thinking that one of my 2018 goals will be to cut out plastic straws from my life. Taking interest in the well-being of our food chain also means taking interest in the well-being of the planet, and it is a responsibility I think we all have.
So join the Strawgle, and share your non-plastic straw use online with the hashtags #TheStrawgleIsReal and #JoinTheStrawgle!
Thank you, Laura, for sharing your campaign with me! Visit The Strawgle website for more info, and reduce our plastic straw use TODAY!
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