On average, each person in the U.S. uses 1.6 plastic straws every day!!! Between the ages of 5-65, this means that about 38,000 straws are used per person. And that’s not counting the paper wrappers!! By now you may be tempted to order your next drink without a straw. But lets face it, those suckers are handy.
The environmental impact is disturbing. Plastic straws are one of the top 10 debris ingested by sea life.
Although many disposable drinking straws are produced with the intention of being recycled (#2 and #5 plastics), they are not. As they are not biodegradable , but photo-degradable, it can take these flimsy straws centuries to break down. In other words, “disposable straws” are not really “disposable”. The majority of them join other plastic products that saturate landfills, or are strewn along roads and beaches, harming wildlife, and ultimately harming us. Many of these straws contain BPA, a known endocrine disruptor. As animals ingest bits of plastic, the BPA accumulates through the food chain ending up on OUR dinner plates and ultimately in our bodies.
Thankfully, Norwex has come up with a solution. The Stainless Steel Drinking Straws are people- and wildlife-friendly, a long-lasting alternative to plastic straws. Their sleek and curved design fits most cups and bottles for easy drinking at home or on the go. The pack of 4 will allow you to keep some at home, work and in your car for those impulsive drive-thru days! This is an easy way to keep your family healthier our beaches/ landfills cleaner.
Straws were originally made from hollow stalks of rye grass.
The first straws used commercially were made from paper (which are still available).
Most plastic straws are also individually wrapped in paper, which equals more trash.
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
Every piece of plastic ever used since its inception is still in existence, most of it is in our landfills. Here are three reason to cut down on your plastic consumption:
The average photo-degrading lifespan of a plastic item is 200 years. That means that your great-grandchildren’s grandchildren will be around to see the plastic WE consumed. Furthermore, these bits of plastic are easily ingested by animals, and later digested by humans. Not so comforting a thought!
We all know that oil is being consumed en masse. Twelve million barrels of oil are being used annually to produce plastic bags, in the US alone!
Harmful chemicals such as BPA are often found in water bottles and plastic containers that many of us send our children’s lunches in everyday. BPA is an industrial chemical which is harmful to the brain as well as to the behavior of children.
Plastic and foil food wraps have a bad rap! They can be a struggle to use, they leach into our food and they end up in the landfills. Check out this for 25 more reasons to go re-usable!
What percentage of plastic globally would you guess we recycle?
Sadly only 5%
Unlike many plastic and foil food wraps you may be tempted to stick in the microwave, silicone rubber does not react with food, liquids, and most chemicals. Why does that matter? Plastic and foil food wraps actually leach harmful chemicals such as BPA, into your food.
Norwex’s New Silicone Lids are BPA free, and will not off-gas hazardous fumes over its lifetime, or while in use. Furthermore, they are perfect for keeping hot foods hot while you wait for the kids to come home or food fresh in the fridge for a longer period of time. Not only will you be preventing more waste from ending up in our landfills (the lids can be used over and over!), but you’ll also be reducing your exposure to chemicals harmful to your body! Sounds like a win-win if you ask me!
Key Benefits:
Keeps food fresh longer
Helps save on environmental waste
Won’t leach chemicals into your food
Reusable, so they save you money
Safe to use in refrigerators
Safe in microwaves and ovens up to 230°C / 425° F
Won’t hold food odours
Dishwasher Safe
*Note: Highly acidic foods such as tomato based pastas sauce may stain the lids.
My favorite personal use for these lids is covering the pan when frying eggs. I like my girls to start the day with an egg, we fry them in a bit of coconut oil and the oil always spattered all over the stove top. These lids work AMAZING for containing the mess.
Loving the lids? Norwex is also offering terrific new packages, including a Pitch the Plastic Pack!
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
I have always loved the outdoors. I was raised on a farm a couple of hours from Alaska, in Smithers, B.C., Canada. Being raised on a farm was an amazing way to grow up. I was a member of the local 4H Club, participating in beef and sheep raising, as well as showmanship, but mostly I loved the public speaking opportunities and demonstrations the club presented me with.
My first job was at the local fish hatchery as a tour guide. The job encouraged me to stay active and healthy. These are two traits I have instilled in my family. As a family we enjoy camping, biking, geo caching, hiking and playing games outdoors. In order for our families to continue enjoying our earth, I strongly believe that ALL of us are called to take care of it. Everyday we have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of creation and everyday we have the responsibility to protect it.
It wasn’t that long ago when hikers didn’t hesitate to drink out of the lakes, rivers or streams. Now we all think twice. What has happened? Our society has made everything disposable. The lakes, streams and oceans are polluted. We need to clean up our act to protect our earth. David Suzuki was right when he said that “What we do to nature, we do to ourselves.”
We cannot solely blame commercial industry without pointing the finger at residential homes that are carelessly dumping anything and everything down the drain and into our landfills. Studies have shown that the largest contributors to pollution are actually residential homes not industries.
A particular verse in the Bible that rings true to me is: I completely believe that we must “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:26). We are such a small part of this universe with the ability to make a huge impact. Many of us believe that one person cannot change the world, but the truth is, WE CAN. One person at a time, one step at a time. That one persons is you and your first step in in your home.
Gandhi’s call to action is a phrase to live by, “we must strive to be the change that [we] wish to see in the world”.
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
Thankfully, Norwex has come up with a solution. The Stainless Steel Drinking Straws are people- and wildlife-friendly, a long-lasting alternative to plastic straws. Their sleek and curved design fits most cups and bottles for easy drinking at home or on the go. The pack of 4 will allow you to keep some at home, work and in your car for those impulsive drive-thru days! This is an easy way to keep your family healthier our beaches/ landfills cleaner.
