Pst. You. Yes, you. Let's have a little chat. Close your eyes and imagine you're sitting on a beach. The sun is shining down and you can feel the rays warming your skin. After hours of sunbathing you feel a bit parched, so you pick up your piña colada, the fancy kind with a colorful umbrella and a straw to match, and take a sip. Doesn't it sound nice right? Now imagine after finishing your drink, you take the straw out of the glass, walk over to the shore line, and shove it in a sea turtle's nose. Not so nice now, huh?

I know what I just had you imagine was a bit strange and even a little bit gory, but I wouldn't put you through it without reason. I'm sure you've see the circulating video of the turtle getting a plastic straw pulled out of its nose with pliers (and if you haven't, I've attached it at the bottom of this article). How do you know that the straw in it isn't yours? What if your iced caramel macchiato's straw is now famous for being pulled out of a turtle's nose? It had to be SOMEONE'S straw that was pulled out of there; why can't it be yours? Doesn't that make you feel a little guilty?

By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Fish! This is our future if we don't change. In the US alone, 500 million plastic straws are thrown away per year. And for us visual learners, that's nine Yankee Stadiums full of straws a year. These numbers don't even include straws that are glued to juice and milk boxes.

At this point, I hope I have made it clear that plastic straws are a big problem for the environment. Here is a few ways you can decrease your plastic straw consumption.

1. Don't buy them for your home.

By scratching them off your grocery list, you remove the temptation of using a straw and save money. It's a win-win.

2. If you NEED a straw, use reusable ones.

Glass stares are a great option for you straw lovers out there. They are easy to wash and can be taken with you anywhere. You can even buy biodegradable straws, as long as you
say goodbye to plastic ones.

3. Ask for no straws at restaurants.

When your waiter comes to the table, politely tell them that straws are unnecessary with your drink. Try to stop them before they put them on your table because then they will still end up trowing the straws away anyway if they leave the waiter's apron pocket.

4. Pledge to stop using plastic straws.

You can pledge to stop using plastic straws here. Just in time for Earth Day!

The planet would really love it if we could all stop using plastic straws. Why not do something for Mother Earth today? BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.