Thirsty for change, Tampa wants you to skip the straw

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Local leaders in Tampa announced a new challenge for businesses and the public to “skip the straw.”  

"It sounds real simple, ‘skip the straw.’  But it has a tremendous impact on our quality of life," said Florida Aquarium CEO Roger Germann. 

According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million straws each day.

The aquarium says straws are routinely in the top 10 of items collected during beach cleanups around the world.  Worse, they can really harm sea turtles. 

“One of the things we have been noticing more and more recently is the effects of plastics and especially the use of single-use plastic straws,” Germann said.

Saying no to the straw is a challenge, not new a law.  Although many businesses have already said goodbye to them.  

“It is the environment that is our economic engine. We need to take better care of that economic engine,” said Maryann Ferenc, CEO of restaurant Mise en Place.

“We want to make sure we're doing our part to protect and preserve and restore our one and only blue planet,” Germann added.