Be Straw Free.org
Your Subtitle text
About
About Straws
More than 500 million disposable plastic straws are used in the United States every day and would fill more than 127 school buses daily, or more than 46,400 school bus loads per year. (The large, 40-ft.-long buses.)*
500 million straws per day is an average of 1.6 straws per person (in the US) per day.
Based on this national average, each person in the US will use approximately 38,000 or more straws between the ages of 5 and 65.
So the sooner we can begin to use fewer straws, the better - it is never too soon (or too late!) to start!
*The number of disposable straws distributed for use in the US are based on estimates provided by straw manufacturers we (at BeStrawFree) researched for this project. Some environmental groups we talked to told us they believe this estimate to be low. While it does include some, it does not include all of the straws attached to juice and milk cartons which are handed out in school lunchrooms and put into lunch boxes every day.
Each 40-ft.-long school bus has a cab capacity of about 35'x 6.5'x 7.5', and a disposable straw is, on average, .75 cubic inches.
About BeStrawFree.org
When Milo Cress, who was a fouth-grader at the time, learned that over 500 million straws are used every day in the US, he decided to stop using straws, and to begin an online project where others could join in to do the same.
This project approaches the issue in two ways: Reduce and Reuse.
For those people who prefer or need to use straws, Reusable Straws are often a good option. We realize it is not realistic for everyone to stop using straws completely.
The more straws we choose not to use, however, the better for us all.
Each time we choose not to use a throw-away straw we are helping reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and littering our oceans, lakes, rivers, and countryside.
- May 5th, 2011: Milo met with Mayor Bob Kiss, of Burlington, VT to discuss how the two can work together to make Burlington the first city in the US where it may become standard that restaurant staff offer cutomers a straw rather than putting a straw in every drink.
It's an "Offer-first" policy.
The Mayor presented Milo a formal Proclamation that offically recognizes this as a Best Practice in the City of Burlington.
This is an important milestone toward making Burlington, VT the
"First StrawFree City in America!"
- Earth Day, 2011: NECN News Broadcast and
National Restaurant Association Press Release !
- April: National Restaurant Association Recognizes Milo!
Milo is recognized by the National Restaurant Association for his suggestion that restaurants offer straws to patrons instead of putting a straw in every drink:
Chris Moyer, the Program Manager of the Conserve Initiative (of the National Restaurant Association) said, "I could not agree more with Milo that offering straws to guests instead of automatically giving them one is a quick and easy way restaurants can help reduce waste and conserve natural resources, as well as save money on supply purchases."
- March 8, 2011: Milo was interviewed by Stewart Ledbetter on WPTZ Evening News
-March 10, 2011: Milo was interviewed by Jennifer Reading on WCAX Evening News , which was then picked up by CNN and broadcast in Europe.
Milo talking with Gov. Shumlin about Be Straw Free.
Photo generously provided by Nick Carter, CCTV. Feb. 2011
Milo testifying before the Vermont House Natural Resources Committee Feb. 9, 2011. Photo courtesy of Bob Stannard.
At Be Straw Free we are also working together with members of the Straw Industry, Restaurants and other Businesses, Schools, Environmental Groups and others to help reduce the waste generated by the use of single-use disposable plastic straws.
The Compact, an educational non-profit is now the fiscal sponsor for Be Straw Free.
The Be Straw Free project is made up entirely of volunteers of various ages and occupations who come together to give freely of their time and expertise to work on this project.
A special thanks to all the individuals and businesses, schools, clubs and groups who have joined us in making the pledge to Be Straw Free.
This project could not have grown into a non-profit nor continued to expand without the financial contributions we have received from our generous Donors - Thank you!
We hope you'll join in, too!
To Donate to Be Straw Free, please contact us at director@BeStrawFree.org.
For more ways to participate, please check out our Wish List, Each One Reach One, and How You Can Help.
Board of Directors
President: Kristy Meyer
Treasurer: Anne Vernon
Advisor: Steve Barnes
Secretary: O'dale Cress
Co-Founder/Spokesperson: Milo Cress
More than 500 million disposable plastic straws are used in the United States every day and would fill more than 127 school buses daily, or more than 46,400 school bus loads per year. (The large, 40-ft.-long buses.)*
500 million straws per day is an average of 1.6 straws per person (in the US) per day.
Based on this national average, each person in the US will use approximately 38,000 or more straws between the ages of 5 and 65.
So the sooner we can begin to use fewer straws, the better - it is never too soon (or too late!) to start!
*The number of disposable straws distributed for use in the US are based on estimates provided by straw manufacturers we (at BeStrawFree) researched for this project. Some environmental groups we talked to told us they believe this estimate to be low. While it does include some, it does not include all of the straws attached to juice and milk cartons which are handed out in school lunchrooms and put into lunch boxes every day.
Each 40-ft.-long school bus has a cab capacity of about 35'x 6.5'x 7.5', and a disposable straw is, on average, .75 cubic inches.
About BeStrawFree.org
When Milo Cress, who was a fouth-grader at the time, learned that over 500 million straws are used every day in the US, he decided to stop using straws, and to begin an online project where others could join in to do the same.
This project approaches the issue in two ways: Reduce and Reuse.
For those people who prefer or need to use straws, Reusable Straws are often a good option. We realize it is not realistic for everyone to stop using straws completely.
The more straws we choose not to use, however, the better for us all.
Each time we choose not to use a throw-away straw we are helping reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and littering our oceans, lakes, rivers, and countryside.
- May 5th, 2011: Milo met with Mayor Bob Kiss, of Burlington, VT to discuss how the two can work together to make Burlington the first city in the US where it may become standard that restaurant staff offer cutomers a straw rather than putting a straw in every drink.
It's an "Offer-first" policy.
The Mayor presented Milo a formal Proclamation that offically recognizes this as a Best Practice in the City of Burlington.
This is an important milestone toward making Burlington, VT the
"First StrawFree City in America!"
- Earth Day, 2011: NECN News Broadcast and
National Restaurant Association Press Release !
- April: National Restaurant Association Recognizes Milo!
Milo is recognized by the National Restaurant Association for his suggestion that restaurants offer straws to patrons instead of putting a straw in every drink:
Chris Moyer, the Program Manager of the Conserve Initiative (of the National Restaurant Association) said, "I could not agree more with Milo that offering straws to guests instead of automatically giving them one is a quick and easy way restaurants can help reduce waste and conserve natural resources, as well as save money on supply purchases."
- March 8, 2011: Milo was interviewed by Stewart Ledbetter on WPTZ Evening News
-March 10, 2011: Milo was interviewed by Jennifer Reading on WCAX Evening News , which was then picked up by CNN and broadcast in Europe.
Milo talking with Gov. Shumlin about Be Straw Free.
Photo generously provided by Nick Carter, CCTV. Feb. 2011
Milo testifying before the Vermont House Natural Resources Committee Feb. 9, 2011. Photo courtesy of Bob Stannard.
At Be Straw Free we are also working together with members of the Straw Industry, Restaurants and other Businesses, Schools, Environmental Groups and others to help reduce the waste generated by the use of single-use disposable plastic straws.
The Compact, an educational non-profit is now the fiscal sponsor for Be Straw Free.
The Be Straw Free project is made up entirely of volunteers of various ages and occupations who come together to give freely of their time and expertise to work on this project.
A special thanks to all the individuals and businesses, schools, clubs and groups who have joined us in making the pledge to Be Straw Free.
This project could not have grown into a non-profit nor continued to expand without the financial contributions we have received from our generous Donors - Thank you!
We hope you'll join in, too!
To Donate to Be Straw Free, please contact us at director@BeStrawFree.org.
For more ways to participate, please check out our Wish List, Each One Reach One, and How You Can Help.
Board of Directors
President: Kristy Meyer
Treasurer: Anne Vernon
Advisor: Steve Barnes
Secretary: O'dale Cress
Co-Founder/Spokesperson: Milo Cress
We would love to hear from you, please contact us at hello@BeStrawFree.org or at BeStrawFree, 7214 Cardinal Lane, Longmont, CO 80503 USA
Copyright © . Be Straw Free. All rights reserved.
Copyright © . Be Straw Free. All rights reserved.
