With this small act, we’re pushing back against the deluge of plastic in our world by targeting one of the dumbest products of them all: plastic straws.

Simply put: straws suck! And here’s why:

• Plastic straws can’t be recycled 
• Most people only use a straw once for just a few minutes before it’s thrown away 
• Many straws contain BPA, a nasty and harmful chemical 
• Straws are on the top 10 list for beach litter worldwide 
• And most of all, they’re completely unnecessary.

Most people don’t know about the problems with straws, and the plastics industry would like to keep it that way. More than 500 million straws are used each day in the United States alone, and even more are used worldwide. Opting out of using plastic straws won’t solve all of our issues with plastic but it can put a real dent in the problem.

Next time you eat at a restaurant or order a drink somewhere, simply tell them: “No straw for me today!” Then take the next step and ask that they don’t give plastic straws to customers unless they specifically request one. By pledging not to use straws you can model the kind of behavior you want to see in the world and use that small action to start a bigger conversation about our overly plasticized world. Maybe you’ll take on bottled water next or use this momentum to start a plastic bag ban in your local community.

Then spread the word to your family and friends and ask them to pledge to go straw-free. Together we can build momentum to make real changes in our relationship to plastic.