No Straw November

Ever heard of the expression “No Shave November”? For those of you who live under a rock and haven’t heard of this expression, it’s pretty self-explanatory. The saying refers to a movement where no man is to shave their facial hair for the entire month of November. To be honest, I’m not really sure why or when this trend started out, but it has become a popular throughout the U.S over recent years.

Interestingly, environmental activists and aquariums have added a twist to this tradition this past November. In attempts of eliminating single-use plastics, they have re-named the traditional “No Shave November” as “No Straw November”. This new movement is led by the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), which is comprised of 22 aquariums in 17 different states. Their goal is to make 500 businesses commit to only serving plastic straws upon request.

With an estimated 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters the world’s ocean from coastal regions each year, “No Straw November” stands to be a cause worth following. The ACP has already made a difference in the realm of plastic pollution, eliminating the need for five million straws over the past year.

In order to spread the cause, they have released images of marine animals tangled in plastics or caught with items such as straws in their noses. These images have been widely shared, spreading awareness of this cause and its importance to the public.

Other organizations have also begun to spread the word and take part in this movement. Organizations such as the Jr. Ocean Guardians have promoted a “No Straw November” cause in order to prevent plastic pollution and protect marine animals. The Jr. Ocean Guardians have challenged individuals to refrain from using any plastic straws for the entire month of November. Year to-date, they have received over 9,000 online pledges and recorded over 21,000 single-use plastic straws offered, as well as almost 20,000 single-use plastic straws refused during the month of November.

To help benefit this cause, San Francisco, Malibu and Manhattan Beach have banned plastic straws. Berkeley, Davis and Oakland have all adopted something similar to Los Angeles — asking that straws be given out only at customers’ request.

Over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used each day in the United States. In order to combat this, Organizations like the ACP and Jr. Ocean Guardians have taken matters into their own hands. The ACP and Jr. Ocean Guardians (along with many others) have re-branded a concept popular in today’s society in order to reduce plastic pollution and protect our environment.

I urge you all to do the same. Take matters into your own hands. Next time you are offered a plastic straw, respond with a simple “no, thank you”. Make use of re-usable and/or biodegradable substitutes. Urge your friends and family to follow in your footsteps and do the same. Share the hashtag #NoStrawNovember on social media next November and help spread the word to better protect our environment from plastic waste.

Join the movement and help make a difference.