The Last Straw |
“ Skip the Straw " campaign , an education program to raise |
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It started with a cringe-worthy |
awareness of waste and encour- |
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viral video : an endangered sea |
age restaurants to stop automati- |
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turtle struggling and wincing as |
cally serving straws in drinks . |
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two researchers worked to extract |
“ A lot of the effort is driven |
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a four-inch plastic straw from |
by the kids ,” says Hushek . |
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its nostril . Now seen around the |
“ The children are the ones going |
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world more than 6 million times , |
door to door , talking to restaurant |
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just one viewing hit home for Alli- |
owners and explaining the effects |
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son Hushek ’ 95 and her family . |
on wildlife and the environment . |
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Allison Hushek ’ 95 , her son , Adrian , and husband , Steve ’ 95 , started a community campaign to “ Skip the Straw ” and reduce single-use plastics . Learn more at tritonmag . com / straws |
“ Just that one straw made us aware of our plastic consumption ,” says Hushek , a Marshall College political science major , now an attorney in Southern California . “ We started packing our own utensils and cups when we went out and began making better choices at home to lower our single-use waste .” And while a single straw or plastic fork may seem trivial , that waste adds up : An estimated 500 million straws are used in the U . S . every day , and when factoring in the nearly 1,000 years it takes for plastics to break down , and the many animals who mistake those items for food , the time was right to make a change .
Along with her husband Steve ’ 95 and five-year-old son , Adrian , the Husheks took to the streets in their community to start the
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They learn what service means — how to speak up and articulate the difference you want to make in the community .”
Major companies like Starbucks and Disney have taken steps to eliminate the use of plastic straws due to concerns over ocean pollution , and the California legislature recently passed a bill requiring restaurants to only serve straws upon request .
Hushek wasn ' t previously attuned to environmental issues , but just a few factors inspired a change . “ When you have kids , you start to think about the planet you ’ ve inherited and what you want to pass on ,” says Hushek . “ If we can influence one person to not choose a straw , then we will have made a difference .”
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“ Anyone can be a changemaker . It simply requires the courage to act on your good intentions .”
– SANDY WANG ’ 16 , Marshall grad and student clinical director of the Free Dental Clinic Project , serving the needs of low income , uninsured and / or homeless individuals .
“ Being a changemaker means having the unique opportunity to be the first drop in a ripple effect .”
— MELISSA VAJANAPHANICH ’ 18 , Roosevelt alumna who started Project PEACH , a social innovation to inspire healthy eating via gardenbased curricula .
Are you a changemaker , or do you know one ? Tell us at tritonmag @ ucsd . edu
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