Each day in the United States, 500 million plastic straws are used for a few minutes and thrown away. That's enough to wrap around the entire world 2.5 times! Unfortunately, these single use plastic straws are not only a significant contributor to climate change thanks to the petroleum, a fossil fuel, used to create them, but they are a huge part of our plastic pollution problem. They're consistently in the top 10 trash items found on beaches! And when they aren't on beaches, they're in the water, killing wildlife and enlarging the already massive plastic island floating just off our coast in the Pacific Ocean.

Luckily, there's hope! And you can help!

It's really as simple as saying "No straw, please," when you're at your favorite restaurants and cafes. This small acting of refusing a straw before it ever hits your drink or table ensures that one less straw is polluting our planet. And if enough of us just say no, imagine the impact we could have.

If you need a straw for that smoothie or bubble tea, consider buying stainless steel or bamboo versions!

And, lastly, consider signing this petition to get our city councilors attention, let's band together to ban plastic straws from the cities of Central Contra Costa County for a greener, more sustainable, and safer tomorrow.