There’s one simple thing each person can take to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. Ask for no plastic straws in your drinks. Americans use 500 million straws daily. Once. That happens day after day, filling our landfills and contributing to ocean plastic.

What if every person reading this post shared it with a friend and pledged to reduce the amount of drinking straws they used each day?

Do that one simple thing: Here’s how

1. Personal commitment
Make a personal commitment to reduce your use of plastic straws when you dine out. When you order a drink, simply say, “No plastic straws, please.”

2. Ask your friends and family to commit
Share your commitment to no plastic straws with friends and family.

3. Ask your favorite restaurants to serve straws only on request
This will reduce plastic straw purchases, saving them money. If  restaurants served paper straws (or bambo, glass or stainless steel), it would make an impact on our communities and our world. You can even share how they can become part of the “No Plastic Straws” business movement. Want a printable card you can leave when you pay your bill? Click here and look at “Level 2” under Take Action.

4. Carry a reusable straw of your own
Amazon has a selection of reusable straws in bright colors and in steel and other forms. Try this one. These colorful straws fit the Yeti tumbler and other reusable drink bottles and come with a cleaning brush. You also get a cleaning brush with these sleek stainless steel straws  or with a cool bamboo set from The Other Straw.

My goal isn’t to sell you straws. It’s to make you aware of the problem and give you a step to take. Every step we take toward a solution makes a difference.
5. Find companies that pledge to use less plastic and give them your support.

Here’s one you might not have considered. Flooring. You will walk on your floor for many years, but eventually, it will end up in a landfill. Is it  made of material that will biodegrade? Check out what The New & Reclaimed Flooring Company is doing. What other companies are you discovering?

Please share this post on your social media and pledge to use fewer plastic straws each day. Remember, this is just one simple thing to do. What else can you try? Share it in the comments below.

Click this banner to see a full-sized infographic on plastic pollution in the oceans.

Drink from the glass instead: no plastic straws #plasticpollution #noplasticstraws