Adoption of Paper Straws within the U.S.

Our planet has been dying for the past century! Despite the signals of distress coming from our world, global warming, some people still believe that there is nothing we can do to help save Earth, and/or have the mentality that it will not affect me during this lifetime. However, I believe we have reached the peak of human civilization, and if people do not start changing the way they behave in their everyday lives, studies show we will start facing the consequences now! Which is why I propose a very simple plan of action that will set us on this path towards a healthy planet. Plastic straws are one of the biggest pollutants in our world. It sabotages the well-being of both the environment and the organisms living in it, including us. Plastic has an estimated half-life of 450 years - Never. Considering plastic has not even been invented for 200 years, we have still managed to produce 6.9 million tons of it that lays around and does nothing but slowly murder our Earth. Instead of adding to that number, I advise we make a slow shift towards paper straws, which is able to degrade a lot easier. Many companies choose plastic straws because of its cheapness. Other companies even have paper straws in stock but have no advertising in order to discourage the consumer from wanting the more expensive product. I am not advising we change a part of our culture so hastily. However, I am advising more precautions to be taken by companies in order to encourage consumers to be more aware of the situation, as well as make it mandatory for corporations to give customers the option of a paper straw without any discouragement from the seller, even if it does cost the company a little extra money. Although this will not help remove all of the useless plastic on our planet, it will set us into the right position in order to start the healing process. Therefore, signing this petition could help be the start of a new movement within our globe. Thank you!