A sustainable lifestyle can be interpreted in different ways depending on the person, their culture, their socioeconomic status, the worlds status. However, I do believe everyone could agree that the amount of plastic one uses in their everyday life is an issue and one of a sustainability. A great way for an individual to live a more sustainable lifestyle is through the reduction in single use plastics and instead use more sustainable alternatives. Recently, plastic straws have been in the public limelight because of the massive consumption and disposal of straws and the negative environmental impacts straws have. The US uses 500,000,000 disposal straws every single year and an average of 1.6 straws per person every day. Recently however, activist groups and other businesses and communities have banded together to not only highlight this wicked problem but also to eliminate or reduce their use of straws. By drinking a beverage without using a straw not only saves the business you are eating at money but also prevents millions of straws from ending up in the oceans and marine organisms. The strawless movement has gained momentum and become a e recent trend because of a multitude of factors but also because of social media and the marketing of the movement. I remember first really seeing the detrimental effects and severity of straws in relation to marine life when I was scrolling through Facebook and I clicked a video that had gone viral. The article points out just how widespread the video went with over 31 million views and 68,000 comments. The video was recorded by a marine biologist that was trying to remove a plastic straw that was lodged up a turtle’s nose which was restricting the animals breathing. However, as the biologists tried to remove the straw, the turtle was in hissing in pain and bleeding. I think entrepreneurs can utilize social media to their advantage when trying to educate consumers on why they should choose their alternative product to plastic straws. There is a huge market for plastic straw alternatives that biodegrade or utilize a design that doesn’t require a straw feature for sipping a drink. Entrepreneurs can innovate and design sustainable products that differ from the conventional and harmful plastic straw which the article says is releases small amounts of estrogenically active chemicals (endocrine disrupters) and is not biodegradable just turns into micro plastics. backlash to the strawless movement comes from multiple groups but one especially is the disabled and special needs community. This is also a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to create sustainable alternatives that fit the requirements this community needs that a regular straw provides. For example, an innovation should be flexible and bendable but also biodegradable or reusable. The article describes businesses that have embraced the strawless movement and provide disposable straws only at request, listing notable business, national parks, cities, and countries that have restricted or banned plastic straws. Clearly their businesses feel they have a social responsibly to care for the environment and people and I thus I think a new innovative solution to the plastic straw would be welcomed with open arms by businesses, communities, and individuals all over the country.
