HESLER/PLACE

Where’s my straw?
It’s a common question asked at restaurants.
Where is my straw? Straws have become so
standard to our dining experience that we don’t
think about the consequences straws and coffee
stirrers have on our environment.
The Ocean Conservancy and International
Coastal Cleanup finds that straws and stirrers
are in the Top 10 of litter found during beach
cleanups.
As the Race for Water Odyssey (R4WO)
Expedition makes its way down to Guam, we
must continue our efforts to reducing our use on
plastic. We must remember that if we can create
these gyres or garbage patches in the ocean filled
with plastic and trash, then we can most
certainly destroy them.
Protecting our environment and oceans have
been a very important mission of mine. I
remember about seven years ago introducing the
bottle bill, encouraging recycling on island.
Just as we changed how we shop, opting out of
plastic bags and using reusable and
biodegradable plastic bags, we can change how
we dine. I challenge everyone to think before
they drink. Ask for biodegradable straws or go
without.
Small changes in our lives really do have an
impact on our world. Before you reach for that
straw, ask yourself this question: “Where will
that straw end up?”
SUMMER/2015 17