Open letter to Starbucks: Your ‘green’ straws make mermaids cry

By Lisa Kaas Boyle
3 September 2015 (Huffington Post) – Dear Starbucks, I am a real mermaid, not just a graphic on a plastic cup. As an ocean protection activist, environmental attorney and surf lover, I spend a lot of time at the beach and in the ocean. I want you to know that your “Green” Straws, plastic stirrers and mermaid cups are some of the most commonly found at the beach, contributing greatly to the plastic pollution crisis. Last week I met up with a dear friend and Rutgers University marine biologist who was visiting my hometown. We met at Starbucks. Here is the vision that greeted us upon entering my local Starbucks. Plastic straws and stirrers are the Number 7 most common item found on beaches worldwide on International Coastal Cleanup day, the single largest volunteer effort on the planet and source of valuable data for what ails our seas. Starbucks is undeniably one of the greatest sources of those straws and stirrers, along with plastic cups which come in at Number 5 most polluting and plastic lids at Number 3 most polluting. [more]

Open Letter to Starbucks: Your “Green” Straws Make Mermaids Cry