Hi there! I know I have already posted before about the dangers plastic has on sea life, but today I wanted to talk about one plastic product specifically… plastic straws. This summer when I went to Sea Camp at Texas A&M Galveston I made many new friends, who all shared the same passion for sea life as I did. One of them told me about how he no longer uses plastic straws because of the harmful effects they have had on sea life, and he has no need to use them. This got me thinking. After I did some research, I was inspired to do the same and you should too! Here is why:

For many of us, plastic straws are not a necessity but rather a convenience. With this convenience, there is a high price to pay that in the end is just not worth it: the endangerment of sea life. According to strawlessocean.org, Americans use over 500 million plastic straws A DAY! And where do most of these straws end up?? Well, unfortunately, most end up in the ocean. As the source says “plastic straws are among the top 10 items found during beach clean ups” and if nothing is done to decrease the amount of plastic ending up in the ocean, “by 2025 there will be MORE PLASTIC in the ocean than fish” !! Plastic is so harmful to sea life, as many sea rescue organizations and research centers have seen first hand the dangerous, life threatening effects plastic has had on all too many creatures in the ocean.

For those who maybe need to use a straw (i.e. someone with a physical disability) or for someone who just really feels they want to use one… there are alternatives such as reusable straws! Think you fall into this category of people? Click here and you can buy one for yourself from Sand Cloud for only $4! Now I understand what you might be thinking.. having to carry around a reusable straw all the time would be a bit of an inconvenience… but the alternative, using a plastic straw, will most likely contribute to much worse results. 

Contrary to what many might think, making a difference in our world and the environment is not always so difficult! Sometimes it can be as simple as no longer using plastic straws! So join me, join the cause, and help save the sea life one plastic straw at a time!  😉