Our friends at Bungalower have said it many times before and I'll say it again. Now more than ever, #OrlandoDoesn'tSuck!
Disregard the ample attractions in Orlando, the neverending list of festivals, events, and concerts that pass through our beloved city beautiful on a daily. The revival of hometown pride with the addition of Orlando City Soccer that reignited our love for local sports. Forget what Food Network personality Andrew Zimmern had to say about it and lets take a moment to properly salivate over the outstanding growth of our local restaurant scene. We as Orlando localites are privy to the fact that outside the kitschy dining options surrounding the touristy area, where many FN alum set down roots with successful restaurants in Orlando I might add, there are plenty of unforgettable culinary concepts to be found, many within the historic Orlando Main Streets Districts.
But I digress. If you're one of the few who reside in the area and emphatically believes that our beloved city does in fact suck, perhaps this new environmental initiative will solidify the sentiment that Orlando isn't as bad as you once thought. In case you haven't noticed Orlando is going through a major change. Let's call it environmentally friendly growing pains. If your immediate reaction when having a drink at one of the many Orlando bars, nightclubs, and restaurants is to first grab a straw, the new initiative may hit you where it hurts. Ladies who love wearing lipstick, this especially sucks for you.
Plastic Straw Ban In Orlando Makes Moves To Better The Environment
With a recent study showing that over 500 million plastic straws are used every day in the U.S. with most ending up wreaking havoc on the environment, cities across the United States are implementing a plastic straw ban. The new legislation is an effort to combat plastic pollution. Orlando hasn't fully hopped on the straw ban bandwagon however, many local venues have already started the process to weed out disposable plastics.
Starbucks has recently unveiled new lids for their frappes and iced coffee drinks that allow you to sip sans straw. In June of 2018 SeaWorld did their part to save the sea turtles by removing single-use plastic bags and straws from their parks and a month later Disney decided to do the same thing with a goal to be plastic straw free by mid-2019.
While most nightlife venues and restaurants in Orlando still suck there are a few businesses in the area that have decided to start ditching the plastic straws in Orlando. Wall Street Plaza in Downtown Orlando a popular stop for nightlife and dining has cut down on their environmental footprint by limiting their straw distribution. Unless you ask for one you're not getting a straw with your vodka cranberry.
"Right now, we're doing straws upon request, and then we are looking into paper straws as well. Right now we do have a mix of both and we're kind of seeing if that would work for us as well." - Wall St. Plaza Events & Marketing Director, Paul Emery.
While the no straw movement hasn't fully invaded Orlando the neighboring cities of Fort Myers, and Miami, Florida have already begun restricting the use of plastic straws. Select cities in California and Seattle have fully implemented the ban preventing businesses that sell food and drinks in the area the allowance of offering plastic straws to their patrons. Some cities on the west coast go so far as considering the use of plastic straws a finable offense. Can you imagine being handed a citation for carrying a plastic straw with the intent to use? For all you germaphobes out there you do have options. Paper, rye wheat, bamboo, reusable glass, steel or metal straws are an approved replacement allowing you to suck and or sip your beverages in public without being considered an environmental social pariah.
Having to drink from a glass or reapply your lip color more often seems like a small price to pay in the grand scheme of limiting waste and saving the environment. Don't you think? What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.
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