Straws: They Are Small, Their Effect On Nature Is Huge

Yes, many of us fall into the misconception that straws do not harm the environment due to their size. However, these plastics, which we use for only a few minutes in our daily lives, do not disappear in nature for 500 years, causing more damage to the ecological balance of the world than we can imagine. Indeed, when did straws become such a common part of our lives? The movie Straws, which we want to talk to you about this week, focuses on exactly this question. With interviews with inspiring people from the history of straws taking action on this issue, you should add Straws to your watch list.

Straws are an inspiring 30-minute short film that presents the negative effects of plastic pollution very clearly and invites us to be part of the path to a solution. It is estimated that more than 500 million plastic straws are used and thrown away each year in the United States. According to the data of the Ocean Conservancy, straws are in fifth place among the most common wastes on the coasts. Since they are not recyclable, the straw that inevitably accumulates in the garbage ends up in the ocean at the end of the day. Here, director Linda Booker is an inspiring name who took action to change this situation and created the movie Straws to raise awareness of the world, based on her respect for nature and her love for animals.

History of Straws

The movie Straws begins with the history of straws. If you want to take a closer look at this history presented to us with the voice of Oscar winner Tim Robbins and colorful and entertaining animations, we can say that the history of reeds is based on Ancient Mesopotamia. Yes, the Sumerians, who were in the upper class at that time, drank their drinks from long straws made from gold. They are followed by the Egyptians and again the very long straws, but this time the motivation is different: getting rid of the bugs that have fallen into the drinks. Afterward, we turn our route to South America. The natives of South America also drink their 'mate' tea straws made from wood.

By 1888, the straws produced from the stem of the rye plant until then were replaced by paper straws found by Marvin C. Stone. Thus, paper straws are starting to take their place in many shops, especially to be served to customers who are afraid of infectious diseases. In the 1930s, we encountered the name Joseph Friedman: he is the creator of stretchable straws. It is known that he made this invention in front of the Varsity Candy Shop in San Francisco after he saw his daughter Judith having trouble drinking a milkshake from her straight and fixed straw.

After the 1950s, the event that accelerated the production and consumption of straws the most entered the scene: the spread of automobiles. With automobiles, fast food culture is becoming popular and the need for disposable products is starting to increase. Pipettes that we are use today, which are very cheap and easy to mass-produce, take their place in the lead role. Countless straws in different sizes, shapes, colors, and patterns have been in our lives ever since.

After shedding light on the history of straws, we watch Linda Booker's interviews with sensible names. Jackie Nunez, the creator of The Last Plastic Straw movement, where people go to restaurants and ask waiters not to bring straws to the table unless customers specifically ask for them, is one such name. Or, researching how ocean creatures eat plastics, mistaking it for food, and the damage it does to them, Dr. Jenna Jambeck is 13-14-year-old Max Machum, whose #NoStrawChallenge movement convinced 40 restaurants in Costa Rica not to use straws alone.

Why Could Straws Have Been Invented?

In one episode of the movie Straws, a boy is asked why straws might have been invented. You should watch his reaction; He finds the straws so strange that he mocks them, "Probably to make it easier for adults to pick up the glass and put it in their mouths!" answers. Isn't it pointless, why do straws exist, why do many of us need them? Come on, let Max Machum inspire you, start from the restaurants you always go to, ask the places around you not to use straws, tell them what you know about plastic waste. Or even better; create your challenge. Think about this today: what would your solution be?

In this article, we talked about Straws: They Are Small, Their Effect On Nature Is Huge. In our previous article: https://suco.uk/blogs/news/where-do-elements-stand-in-our-daily-lives