<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> According to NPS.gov, U.S. citizens</span> use 500 million drinking straws every day. This is enough to circle the globe 2.5 times a day or to fill 46,400 school buses every year.</p><p>Americans use these disposable utensils at an average rate of 1.6 straws per person per day. Based on national averages, this equates to each person in the U.S. using about 38,000 straws between the ages of 5 and 65. Although straws are relatively small, that amount of waste really adds up. (NPS 2013)</p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These single-use plastic products are primarily made from PolyEthylene; they are not recyclable and create a waste stream that goes heavily unnoticed. Currently their consumption has been established as a norm, but they serve a convenience, not a need. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The United Nations Environmental Program reports 80% of the trash debris floating in the ocean is comprised of plastic and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">serious ecological threats stem from this waste stream. Therefore, any feasible effort that can be made to limit our impact is a step worth taking. (UNEP 2005)</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With this petition we are requesting that the City of SLO, not ban plastic straws, but sets a policy in which they are only given out upon request and with to-go drinks. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The implication, is that restaurants would only give out straws when the customer requests them. They will no longer be given with every drink as a company policy. They’re cheap, convenient, and easily disposable, but their greatest cost comes to the environment with their lingering presence after consumption. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We can take a step to weaken the current system that generates large quantities of avoidable waste. Leadership begins with individual decisions to stand for a better future, and together we can act to create that reality.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re supportive of this cause, please sign the petition to show both restaurants and the San Luis Obispo City Council that this is a worthwhile step for our community. </span></p><p><br />Source Links:</p><p><a href="https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm</span></a></p><p><a href="http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/plastic_ocean_report.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/plastic_ocean_report.pdf</span></a></p>
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