The California Coastal Commission and other organizations locally and around the world use November to engage in public education campaigns focusing on an individual action: requesting “No straw, please” when dining in or picking up food to go. This public outreach campaign is part of a voluntary effort to raise awareness on issues surrounding plastic pollution and educate the community on simple actions to take to reduce consumption of single-use plastics. While this is a small action, it is an impactful one because plastic waste from straws has no realistic way of being recycled and straws often end up quite visibly on the beach or in the ocean.

To learn more about the “No Straw November” campaign, visit jroceanguardians.org and plasticpollutioncoalition.org/no-straw-please