One of Tampa’s most important calling cards is its pristine environment and world renowned weather. We have the sea, the sand, and… the straws that wind up in them.
You probably expected that to say the sun, but the thousands of locals and tourists visiting The Florida Aquarium, waterfront museums, attractions, and restaurants each year for our natural gifts are in danger of dwindling if we don’t tackle one of the biggest environmental hazards facing coastal communities like ours today: single use plastics.
Together, we can help stem the tides that are washing up more and more plastic straws upon our shores.
Through efforts by local leaders like The Florida Aquarium CEO, Roger Germann, the support of conscious businesses like Bank OZK, and the help of consumers like you, it can be done.
STRAWS SUCK!
The Facts
According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million plastic straws each day, which means that you’ll likely use over 35,000 of these little suckers in your lifetime. In fact, it’s their small size that makes them unrecyclable. The best case scenario is ending up in a landfill, where they take their slow, sweet time decomposing, which is sometimes centuries.
Worst case? Almost a third of all plastics produced escape collections systems and wind up in our oceans where they can be swallowed by our marine life and wind up in their stomachs or, as the world witnessed, their nose.
SKIP THE STRAW!
Thankfully, there’s a few simple steps we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our beautiful beaches and waters:
What can YOU do as a consumer?
Take the Challenge. Break the bad habit and purposefully ask for your drink without the straw. You don’t need it and won’t miss it, we promise.
Consider a reusable straw made of stainless steel, bamboo or glass to take with you everywhere. Hey, it’s a conversation starter.
Talk about it. You might have to tell somebody they suck, but eventually they’ll thank you.
Benefits
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- Reduce your carbon footprint
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- Feel good about yourself
- Guaranteed to help you stop sucking, less wrinkles
What can YOU do as a business?
Provide straws only when requested by a customer. They won’t leave a terrible Yelp review over that missing straw, they probably won’t even notice.
Provide either compostable or reusable straws when they ask for one. With all that money you’ll be saving from using less straws, why not?
Get rid of straws completely. Quitting cold turkey isn’t for everybody, but your brand is bold and always ahead of the pack.
Benefits
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- Reduce your carbon footprint
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- Draw in new customers who care about the cause
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- Save money on costs
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- Reinforce positive brand values with your loyal customers
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- Preserve the future of your business
- We’ll list you on this site (thumbs up)
Take the Challenge and show your support by signing up and we’ll send you a Skip the Straw decal for your car or business.
These local establishments are already making an impact
Armature Works・Bamboozle Cafe Downtown・Bamboozle Channelside・Bay Coffee & Tea Company・Bella’s Italian Cafe・Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q (All Locations)・BT in a Box・Ciccio Cali・Girl Scouts of West Central Florida・Ichicoro Ramen・Ichicoro Imoto・Kahwa Coffee (All Locations)・Lucky’s Hot Dogs・MacDinton’s Irish Pub・Montados・Noble Crust (All Locations)・Oystercatchers・Raw Smoothie Co.・Rooster & the Till・Tampa Bay Lightning・Taps Burger Bar and Gastropub・Taps Restaurant Bar and Lounge・ Tervis・The Blind Tiger Cafe (All Locations)・The Mermaid Tavern・The Stone Soup Company・Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q (All Locations)・Yard of Ale・ZooTampa at Lowry Park
“Skip the Straw is integral to the continued growth of small businesses in the Tampa Bay region. Our beautiful waterfront parks, beaches and rivers make this area such a draw for young, adventurous talent. To do that, we have to take care of our city and address these pressing environmental issues.”
“Skip the Straw was created to protect and preserve our environment by accepting the challenge to eliminate single-use plastic straws. We’re excited to share this challenge with Tampa Bay and believe it will inspire a welcomed region-wide change. Together, Skip the Straw will have a positive impact on our local waterways and protect the animals and people that thrive because of them.”
“Due to the overwhelming support of restaurants, businesses and locals in St. Pete, it was only natural for us to take the challenge across the bridge into Tampa. We hope this spreads all across Florida and leads to a bigger discussion of single-use plastics.”
