Plastic straws are really bad for the ocean. It’s estimated that we use over 500 million every day in America, and most of those end up in our oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life. We want to encourage people to stop using plastic straws for good. If we don’t act now, by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish (by weight).

Women for India launched a big campaign with a young student, Kanav Bhalla, of class X for reducing the use of plastic straws. Plastic straws end up in the ocean primarily through human error, often 1) left on beaches in coastal communities and seaside resorts globally 2) littered OR 3) blown out of trash cans (oftentimes overfilled) or transport boats and vehicles.

According to him, straws being widely used by individuals and the hospitality industry needs customer attention and behavior change. He has been educating customers about not using straws. He is also educating hotels and cafes and roadside vendors on not using plastic straws. He met almost 165 restaurants, cafes, and hotel owners. He sensitized the staff and management of hotels and cafes on the impact of plastic straws. He touched base with more than 5500 customers and has been able to sensitize them about the hazards of using straws. They took a pledge to not use straw in the future. This campaign has been highly appreciated by international entities on Twitter.