Want to take going Straw-LESS one step further?

Thanks for going Straw-LESS with me- you all did great!  Some of you have been asking how you can get more involved in the Straw-LESS movement.  As you have seen from my posts, the straw-LESS trend has been growing across the US and the world this summer.  Multiple businesses, cities, and counties have chosen to ban single use straws. From Malibu to New York City, it seems like many cities are doing their part to help reduce single use plastic waste and save the planet one plastic straw at a time. NYC may even completely ban plastic straws altogether, following suit after Seattle became one of the first major US city to ban plastic straws this month.  I am proud to say that my local town, Manhattan Beach, has recently implemented a ban on single use plastic straws, stirrers and utensils that will begin on January 1st, 2019.  Is your town jumping on the straw-LESS bandwagon?  Here is a list of cities that now have plastic straw bans in place.  Check out this quick video to learn more. No matter where you travel to this summer, it seems like everyone is sipping their cold beverage without a straw.  Even the National Park Service is going plastic straw free.  

But it’s more than just legislation that is getting involved.  Many restaurants are adopting a no plastic straw or straws upon request policy.  From mom and pop diners to large corporations, like McDonalds, they’re all bending at the straw to create positive change.  The Last Plastic Straw has a restaurant directory of participating restaurants.  If you  own or work for a restaurant, here is a great guide for going Straw-LESS!  You can also take the One Less Straw Business Pledge found here.  

Besides refusing a straw or bringing your own reusable straw, what else can you do to participate in this movement?  You can contact your local politicians or state legislators to ask them to ban plastic straws.  If you live in a city that is considering banning straws, sign the petition!  If you live in California, like me, simply click here to sign a petition!  You can also download a helpful toolkit and join the movement from the strawlessocean.org.  You can also make a pledge to go Straw-LESS by joining the Strawless Challenge.  You could even win fun eco prizes!  And remember, by simply creating the Everyday Eco-Habit of going Straw-LESS, you will help make single-use plastic straws a thing of the past.