Plastic Straws Are Back?! And why that MAY be a good thing...
As many of you have now seen, President Trump has brought BACK the plastic straw.
This isn't a political debate.
It's a wake up call...
What are we REALLY asking for?
What are we REALLY standing for?
And WHY does it even matter?
And before we go any further...
I will NOT be bringing back plastic jars and jugs in our store. Reducing plastic is part of our creed now and we won't settle on that in the future.
BUT, I do believe there's way more to this debate than meets the eye. So, let's discuss...
The removal of plastic straws was originally made in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Aka to reduce the amount of plastic that makes its way into our landfills, rivers, streams, and ultimately...
The ocean.
Plastic is damaging to the earth and to the creatures who have to survive in the mounds of plastic pollution we create each year.
Sadly, the discussion rarely included human micro-plastic ingestion or the direct impact on public health.
No shocker there.
Which is why, I believe, we saw plastic straws being irresponsibly replaced with something far more sinister...
The 'paper' straw.
If you're like me, you got used to NOT using straws all together because those paper straws were whack anyway!
They always went limp before I could finish my drink. And there was just something about a straw dissolving in my drink that never sat quite right with me.
On the one hand, we had a slight impact on the "amount" of solid plastic going into the environment.
On the other hand...
Paper straws contained the same, if not MORE, forever chemicals found in plastic straws. And these toxins are not only released into the soil, they make their way into our water systems, are ingested by fish...which then get ingested by humans, and even infiltrate the very beverages they are being used in.
Here's what they DIDN'T tell us...
Many of the same chemicals used in plastic straws were found IN paper straws too! [1]
Which means...human toxicity from migrating chemicals could be higher in the drink with the paper straw than with a standard plastic straw.
And because the whole paper straw thing is still such a new concept, it's not collectively regulated.
VERY LITTLE push back against specific raw materials being used. Which leads to minimal, if any, accountability on the manufacturing procedures.
Plus, plastic straws only account for about 1% of the plastic pollution in our oceans so the impact of the bans on the planet as a whole wasn't as big of a nudge as we really needed to create the change we were promised.
All this to say...
JUST because it's not 'the THING' we are trying to avoid, doesn't mean it's automatically better.
We need a better solution to this plastic issue.
But that requires a truly informed choice.
Not a fear-based, avoidant one.
Now, to address those questions from above:
What we're really asking for? Less plastic impact on the Earth.
We don't need regulations or a government body to tell us what we SHOULD and SHOULD NOT do.
Not as individuals and most definitely not as a company.
What we're really standing for? Healthier humans and a healthier planet.
Once again, we KNOW what we need to do.
It's not always easy, and it does require a commitment that's not always convenient, but it will be worth it in the end.
And finally, WHY it matters?
Because, while we can't technically see into the future and know how our actions will impact the generations that will come after us...
We CAN choose to leave the world better than we found it.
We can create generational health for both our families and the planet.
This is one of the reasons why I decided to move us toward a lesser plastic use model last year.
It was HARD to make this switch and still presents a lot of challenges but at least I can sleep well at night knowing we're doing our part!
We keep striving for better when no one is there to hold us accountable and how we hope to inspire our community in doing the same.
You can make an impact with every choice you make.
And if you won't do it for you, do it for the future humans and creatures that will inhabit this Earth.
References:
1. https://foodpackagingforum.org/news/paper-straws-not-safer-than-plastic-straws-scientists-find