Friday, July 31, 2009

Sustainability in a Slurpee Straw

I love Slurpees.  If you are unfamiliar with them, these are the joyful frozen slushy drink found in giant sizes (they offer small sizes, but why?) at 7-Eleven stores.  I know they are bad for me and the environment, but they are a vice I almost always indulge in when I visit the east side of Michigan (7-Elevens are few and far over here on the west side). 

This time I was greeted with not only the sweet frozen bliss of my slurpee, but also a small sign of sustainability in the world of convenience.  7-Eleven now offers aluminum straws to reuse with your slurpee purchases.   I am sure when they created these, they weren't necessarily thinking about the Earth aspect.  And most people purchasing them probably don't consider it either.  But that doesn't change the fact that every time the straw is purchased and reused, it saves another plastic straw from being made and disposed of.

My bright green aluminum slurpee straw now sits in my diaper bag waiting to be pulled out at the movie theater, gas station, and random restaurant stops.  It's my simple, 99 cent step towards slightly less plastic consumption.  

Do you have a reusable straw?  Have you thought about getting one?  Will you now?

5 comments:

3 AM Art said...

That looks like a cool straw.. makes me want one! I bet they could be cut into slices and made into eco-jewlery too.

--Heather :)

Nanny Dee said...

Hi -- just blog hopping around today and found you! This post is great -- I didn't know about the aluminum straw option. Definitely a good excuse to go get a Slurpee.

Dee :D

http://newenglandnanny.blogspot.com

Willo said...

Heather-how brilliant, what a clever girl you are! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Nanny Dee-I am glad you found Green Gracious and pleased we could introduce you to aluminum straws! They also make glass straws, but who can do that with kids?

Unknown said...

That's fantastic. I try to carry straws around in my purse for my girls--I don't like lugging 2 sippies and a water bottle around (for the girls and I). So I bring my water bottle to share--the girls use straws (or else they tend to dump the water all over themselves). Comes in handy at restaurants, too!

Lizzie said...

never even heard of one! how cool :) i miss 7-eleven, don't have one anywhere near... maybe thas a good thing ;)