She Recorded That Heartbreaking Turtle Video. Here ’s What She Wants Companies Like Starbucks to Know About Plastic Straws

When marine biologist Christine Figgener filmed her team removing a plastic straw stuck in a sea turtle’s nose in August 2015, she says she had no idea how much it would resonate with the world. She also had no idea nearly three years later, the video would help galvanize a larger movement, which now includes companies like Starbucks and American Airlines, to eliminate plastic straws from our day-to-day lives. The 34-year-old marine conservation biologist, who is currently finishing her Ph.D at Texas A&M University, says she was “celebrating” last week after several companies followed Starbucks’ lead in announcing plastic straw bans. “I’m of course happy,” Figgener tells TIME. “But I don’t want the corporations to feel like they’re getting off easily just by eliminating plastic straws. I hope this is the first step.” The wave of corporate plastic straw bans last week comes after Seattle became the first big U.S. city to ban plastic straws earlier this month — and as public awareness of the negative impact single-use plastic items like straws, cups and cutlery can have on the environment is heightened. (This year’s Earth Day theme centered on plastic pollution.) And Figgener’s video, which currently has nearly 31 million views on YouTube, continues to be part of the conversation as people get more conscious of their plastic usage and want to be more active in protecting the environment. In...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime Pollution Source Type: news