Ready to join the “No Straw November” challenge? Spearheaded by a 16-year-old high school junior, Shelby O’Neil, “No Straw November” brings awareness to the problem of plastic straw pollution and challenges people of all ages to refuse plastic straws during the month of November.
O’Neil got the idea for “No Straw November” in her work with Jr Ocean Guardians, an initiative she founded for her 2017 Girl Scout of America Gold Award Project. The focus of Jr Ocean Guardians is to save our oceans and marine life for future generations.
Because of O’Neil’s work, the California Coastal Commission unanimously passed a resolution declaring November as No Straw November on October 11, 2017.
Over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used each day in the United States alone. These short-lived tools are usually dropped into a garbage can with no further thought, instantly becoming a source of plastic pollution.
What can you do?
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Simply request “no straw” at bars, cafes, and restaurants and join us in the global movement to eliminate plastic drinking straws from our landfills, our waterways, our oceans, and our beaches.
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Reach out to local eateries in your neighborhood or town and ask them to change their protocol to “only serve straws upon request”. Simply download and print this PDF and ask them to try it for the month of November. You can also leave these informational cards with your bill!
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Encourage these eateries to make the change to non-plastic straw options – like paper, rye wheat, glass, or stainless steel – if diners do request a straw. We have a business-specific pledge for them to sign, too.
Visit No Straw November and the Jr Ocean Guardians.
Join the kids at Stevenson School in asking In-N-Out Burger to stop using plastic straws.
Learn how to host a screening of STRAWS the film.
Visit The Last Plastic Straw, a project of Plastic Pollution Coalition.
