Sip Happens

A couple weeks ago, I posted a picture of one of my favorite drinks in Charlotte- the Barbe À Pape cotton candy French soda from Amélie’s.

It had a HUGE response for an amazing reason- I brought my reusable straw with me. There is a growing movement behind the need for eliminating single use plastics like straws because of how detrimental they are for the environment. According to the National Park Service via this great article by CNN HALF A BILLION aka 500 million straws are thrown away every day. A huge majority of these straws end up in the ocean, where wildlife are harmed by them. If you haven’t seen the disturbing video that went viral of a sea turtle getting a straw dislodged from its nose I suggest you go see it. If wildlife aren’t coming across straws they’re ending up elsewhere. If you think I’m being dramatic, I’m not playing- there are giant floating trash “islands” in the oceans such as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is the size of Texas.

Our planet is in bad shape, and the collective actions of many are making the situation even more dire. However there is hope, and making lifestyle changes like eliminating single use straws make such a huge contribution.

When I put up this post, the response was astounding. One of my all time best performing posts was about something that I feel we should all be better about (myself included), which is taking care of the environment. If you followed along, you saw my Insta story from that day:

 

 

Yes I am wearing my pajamas. All of these things are on my Amazon page, and I’ll link their web sites as well.

Here are great options where you can get reusable straws!

1. Koffie Straw Company 

These silicon straws are designed to keep your teeth safe from coffee stains and save the environment at the same time. They come in a cute little eco friendly package with a brush to keep clean. $12 plus shipping on Amazon. And they are biodegradable and compostable when it comes time to get a new set. 

2.  Green Heart Stainless Steel Straws

These are the ones that I use, and they are really easy to clean and carry around. $8 investment that goes a long way.

3. Glass Straws

They come in cute colors and are shatter-resistant. $10.29 on Amazon.

4. Boba Straws

Boba tea fans rejoice! This was a major concern of mine when I started the reusable straw search. Would there be straws big enough so I could have a guilt-free boba experience? Lucky for us there is! $6 on Amazon.

5. Sand Cloud Straw

This company was on Shark Tank and gives 10% of its profits to non-profits in ocean conservation. $3 for a solo straw, cleaning brush, and bag to carry it in.

6. FinalStraw

This Kickstarter campaign has taken off, and their marketing is ingenious- think mermaids and millenials saving the Earth. Pre-ordering for this product is still available and the straw comes in four colors. The straw itself is collapsible, and fits in this keychain container to take with you everywhere. Goes for $20, but you can donate more to their cause. Brb gonna go order three right now.

There are tons of options out there! I hope that this list is a great starting point, and I urge y’all to invest in one of these guys. It really makes a difference and you know you are creating a lasting impact.

Peace n’ blessings n’ sea turtles.