Happy No Straw November! We at Jr Ocean Guardians hope it has been a positive month full of reusable goodies. While the month might be coming to a close, we encourage you to continue this healthy habit on behalf of Mother Nature. Please take a few minutes to read on how No Straw November continues to make waves throughout the world, thanks to the power of your voices.
No Straw November 2018
This year our No Straw November initiative has reached people far and wide across the globe. Many cities throughout the USA and the world have gone the extra mile to proclaim November as No Straw November through resolutions. We were very excited to be contacted by the City of Greensboro, North Carolina in September to provide resolution information so that they could continue our No Straw November movement in North Carolina. We've also heard from Girl Scouts troops as far away as Okinawa Japan (who also participated last year), as well as students at Palo Alto High School (read their NSN article), CALPIRG, schools across the country and world, and cities requesting information on how they can help fight plastic pollution. It has indeed been a fantastic past year to see the awareness to single-use plastic pollution grow. It's inspiring.
National Geographic's "A running list of action on plastic pollution"
To Jr Ocean Guardians delight, No Straw November was featured in National Geographic's "A running list of action on plastic pollution" online article. Nat Geo featured our No Straw November campaign now joined by the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) which is comprised of 22 aquariums in 17 different states. ACP has launched their own plastic pollution awareness on November 1st by partnering with us on our No Straw November initiative! Our No Straw November movement has moved beyond the USA to aquariums and zoos in other countries.
AQUARIUMS BAND TOGETHER FOR “NO STRAW NOVEMBER”
November 1, 2018
November is the month of not shaving facial hair, and now thanks to a new conservation campaign, the month of not using straws.
Branded as “No Straw November,” the campaign is a push to eliminate single-use plastic. The effort is led by the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), comprising 22 aquariums in 17 different states. They're pushing 500 businesses to commit to only serving plastic straws upon request. Already, the ACP has worked with large companies like United Airlines, the Chicago White Sox, and Dignity Health hospitals.
They hope to commit the additional 500 by Earth Day, April 20, 2019.
The No Straw November campaign is also lobbying cities and regional governments to pass ordinances that encourage businesses to use fewer straws. Individuals are also being asked to sign an online pledge to limit their own personal single-use plastic. The efforts are part of what ACP is labeling a joint “#FirstStep” to plastic-free waterways. Images of marine animals wrapped in plastic or caught with items like straws in their noses have been widely shared, raising awareness of the public. Aquariums have been leaders in phasing out plastic items at their own facilities.
Earlier this week, the ACP, partnering with the U.N. and European Commission, announced plans to create a global coalition of 200 aquariums that will campaign against plastic.
No Straw November History
October 2017 the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the first No Straw November proclamation, and it didn't stop there! Many thanks to California State Majority Leader Bill Monning and the Monterey Bay Aquarium for co-sponsoring SCR 139 - No Straw November. As you may recall, the California Senate approved SCR 139 No Straw November in June, and the California Assembly approved in August, officially proclaiming November in California as No Straw November!
Our primary goal this year was to promote inclusion and have more people understand it is okay to use a straw if you medically require one. A person should never feel shame for something is beyond their control.
A special shout-out to Semira Chadorchi for illustrating the year's No Straw November official poster that shared worldwide. Semira is very talented, and we absolutely adore her artwork for Heal the Bay's 2018 Coastal Clean-Up. We are thrilled that she lent her talent to our 2018 No Straw November official poster. To learn more about Semira, please visit her website at http://www.semichad.com 2018 No Straw November patch update! We have seen spikes in patch donations and are over the moon to have part of the proceeds going Friends of the Elephant Seal who maintain a free and accessible boardwalk that allows you to view elephant seals in their natural habitat, it's a gorgeous spot off of Hwy 1 in California, near Hearst Castle. If you haven't sent in your 2018 patch donation, you have until 12/31/18 to be guaranteed a patch. To order, visit https://www.jroceanguardians.org/no-straw-november
Thank you to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for teaching me all the beautiful and fascinating facts about our ocean, as well as all the scary things facing the health and future of our ocean. I will forever call the Monterey Bay Aquarium my second home, and I will continue to fight for the health of our oceans, planet and all of earth's inhabitants. I'm proud to be a Monterey Bay Aquarium Ocean Hero!
No Straw November Dignity Health Video Message
Even though we are nearing the end of November, please continue to keep refusing single-use straws and single-use plastic. Bring recyclable bags to the grocery store and try to limit your single-use plastic waste in the produce department. Small steps can make huge impacts, and all of you are proof that WE are making a difference and your voice counts #changemakers.
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