We love sipping on yummy smoothies, protein shakes and the occasional margarita through a straw… Who doesn’t? A straw or two a day doesn’t seem like much, right? But with every straw we throw away, we add to our collective consciousness and growing guilt over needless garbage. To be able to continue sipping, sans shame, we needed a more permanent solution.
It may not seem significant, but the average person uses 600 straws per year. That’s billions of needless pieces of plastic that will litter our oceans or sit in a landfill longer than we’ll be alive. As if that weren’t enough motivation to make a change, the health effects of sipping on BPA’s is considerably less than appealing.
Sometimes, we get too caught up in only thinking about the “big moves” of being more environmentally conscious, spending our time and energy on issues and ideas that call for greater financial and technological commitments. And when a problem becomes too daunting, we get paralyzed into non-action. The problems of our environment do seem insurmountable, but as Tolstoy said, “All journeys begin with the first step.” It’s easy to forget that, sometimes, the simplest of changes can have the biggest impact.
For us, the solution to our sipping situation became Hummingbird Glass Straws: Beautiful, hand-made, extremely durable Pyrex-like glass with a reasonably large diameter (enough for a good margarita or smoothie). Whatever your nectar, Hummingbird Glass Straws make for Happy Sipping.
This small company is founded on the principles we sought them out for: Sustainability, Quality Craftsmanship, and Make-You-Feel-GREAT-About-Your-Purchase Vibes. The straws have good mouth-feel but, more importantly, make you feel good knowing you’re not adding to the world’s growing garbage problem. They’re tactilely-pleasing as well, not collapsing when you press down with your lips like a regular plastic straw. Hummingbird glass straws come in all sorts of cool colors, shapes, and an array of exquisite glass art additions like little frogs or flowers to make every sip a little more special.
It’s a very small piece of kit with a similarly small price tag, but over the course of a few years, it makes a big impact on our environment.
Like a hummingbird to a flower, we have been sucked into these things :). While great for VANlife (since it’s best for us to limit garbage when we travel), we have also started carrying them with us when we dine at restaurants so we can just-say-no to plastic straws. Bethany carries her’s in her clutch purse. And at home, nothing beats a summer smoothie sipped sumptuously from a straw.
How’s that for happy sipping?