Zero Waste – Skip the Straw

It takes us all to help in small ways to become a more sustainable community. In 2024, we’re partnering with the Lakeside Environmental Stewardship Society (LESS) to educate Lakesiders about our Net Zero Goals. This week, we focus on Zero Waste.

Lake Erie supplies the water we drink. No matter where you live, your life depends on water. Year after year, trash enters our waterways, choking economies, harming wildlife and impacting the health of humans and communities.

Fortunately, this is one environmental issue we can all address. By picking up what’s out there and changing the behaviors that allow trash into the water in the first place, we can support the vision of a trash-free Lake Erie. Clean water has many benefits, from healthy wildlife to strong economies.

Some years ago, LESS promoted a ‘Skip the Straw’ campaign and would like to revive it. Through this targeted effort, we hope to prevent millions of plastic straws from entering Lake Erie. Restaurants and similar establishments can play an important role by reducing the number of plastic straws their customers use daily.

‘Skip the Straw’ simply requests that restaurants refrain from automatically putting a plastic disposable straw in each beverage and instead allow customers to request a straw if they so desire. Often, customers are content without a straw.

Customers can do their part by only requesting a straw when absolutely necessary. When ordering a drink, say, “No straw, please.”