In April I wrote about Seattle's effort to ban plastic straws.  We've since learned that some places at the Jersey Shore, like McLoone's, have stopped automatically providing plastic straws.

Over the weekend the push to reduce straw use became more evident to me and my family.  We drove to my niece's college town, moving her into her dorm.  At the restaurant we went to Friday night, we saw a sign taped to the door.  It stated that plastic straws would be provided only upon request.  We sat at the table, did not request them, and managed to sip our sodas and waters just fine without them.

The next day at the diner, the waitress automatically put a bunch of straws on our table.  I told her that we wouldn't be using them and asked if she's allowed to take them back.  Yes, thankfully, she was able to reuse them because they were sealed in paper wrapping.  She said next time, it would be great if we mentioned the straws right away.  In other words, we should tell her we don't want straws and that way she won't even put them on the table.  She said more and more customers have been doing that and she's happy with this new movement to be a little kinder to the earth and marine life.

And let the record show that during that meal, we also survived without using drinking straws.

Like anything new, it just takes some getting used to.  Have you started doing without straws yet?  Would you consider trying a few meals without using straws?

 

Do you think Jersey Shore restaurants should start asking people if they want straws?  Chime in in the Comments section.

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