Strawesome Schools
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National Geographic delves on the history of plastic straws.
"A man named Marvin Stone was the first to file a patent for a drinking straw, in 1888 . The Smithsonian Institute cites a widely touted legend saying Stone was drinking a mint julep on a hot summer day in 1880 when his piece of rye grass, then used as a straw, began to disintegrate. Stone, a paper cigarette holder manufacturer, decided he could make something better...."
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"Most plastic straws are too lightweight to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter. They drop through sorting screens and mix with other materials and are too small to separate, contaminating recycling loads or getting disposed as garbage."
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New York City, Hawaii, and California have pending straw ban legislation.
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California: Alameda, Carmel, San Luis Obispo, Davis, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Oakland, Richmond, and Berkeley
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Washington: Seattle and Edmonds
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New Jersey: Monmouth Beach
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Florida: Miami Beach and Fort Myers
"Plastic straws are one of the many single-use plastics that litter beaches, pollute oceans and harm wildlife. To preserve natural resources and keep Florida’s environment free of pollutants, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection encourages Florida residents and visitors to reduce their plastic use and “Skip the Straw.” Residents, schools and businesses can pledge to Skip the Straw for one week. If every person in Florida took this pledge, we could together reduce pollution from plastic straws by approximately 2.35 million. Challenge your friends now to help end single-use plastic pollution in Florida."
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