GALVESTON — Galveston Island is going green.
Businesses along the Seawall are stepping up to spread the message that while there’s no ordinance or law against it, plastic straws are on the way out.
“Paper, biodegradable straws. Really not that much more money to do it either," said James Cunningham, owner of Hemingways Beach Bar.
Hemingways Beach Bar sits right off the Seawall.
“If we have an ugly beach, no one is going to want to come here," Cunningham said.
He says it was the viral video of the plastic straw stuck in the nose of a sea turtle that first sparked his concern.
“It was gruesome," Cunningham said. “If we can be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem, I'm all for that.”
He made the switch to paper straws just a few weeks ago. Not long after Moody Gardens got rid of their plastic straws all together. And soon, their plastic bags will be replaced with paper.
"They end up on the streets. They get washed down the drains. They end up in the ocean," said Greg Whittaker, Moody Gardens Animal Husbandry Manager. “There is a much bigger problem. These are sort of the low-hanging fruit or so as we say.”
The National Park Service says Americans use 500 million straws a day, roughly a straw and a half per person.
It's a tiny piece of plastic that stays alive for decades, hurting not just sea-life, but humans too.
“It ends up in the food chain, and we ultimately are eating that when we enjoy seafood," Whittaker said.
But in Galveston, they’re sucking up the problem one straw at a time.
“To see that others on the island share that same mission, it’s fantastic," Whittaker said.
It won’t be enough, but it’s a start.
“This is just the beginning, really. I just happen to be one of the first ones on the island to commit to it," Cunningham said.
Another Galveston favorite, The Spot, says they will be making the switch to paper straws after summer.