Skip the Straw

Every year, plastic straws and stirrers are among the top ten items collected during Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. In fact, volunteers have collected nearly 14 million straws and stirrers from beaches and waterways worldwide over the 35 year history of the International Coastal Cleanup!

Unfortunately, many more continue to make their way into our ocean, where they pose a real danger to sea turtles, albatross, fish and other ocean wildlife.

You Can Take Action

What makes plastic straws unique is that for the vast majority of people they are not necessary. What’s more, sustainable, ocean-friendly alternatives are available.

If you don’t need to drink using a straw, commit to skipping the straw and add your voice to the sea of people taking a stand for the ocean. Sign the pledge now and when offered a straw, simply say “no thanks.”’ It is a small step that goes a long way for ocean health.

And you don’t have to stop there. Ocean Conservancy has developed materials that you can use to encourage others to join the movement, too:

• Ask your local eateries to not automatically serve plastic straws with beverages. Instead, they can serve them upon request. Here’s a letter you can use when approaching restaurants and other businesses.
• Show your pride with “iSkip the Straw”. Tell others to do the same! Be sure to snap a selfie without a straw and use #skipthestraw to @OurOcean!
• Have a local business on board? Tell us about it and we’ll send a “WeSkip the Straw” window decal for businesses to show that they are part of the ocean-trash solution.
• To request outreach items or ask a question, please contact [email protected]

Who is Skipping the Straw

From cleanup organizers and volunteers to sea turtle conservation groups and schools, we’re collaborating with people who care about making a difference and are taking action every day to help their communities reduce single-use plastic. For more on their stories, check out the blogs listed below.

Ocean Conservancy would like to thank the following establishments for choosing plastic disposable straw alternatives or skipping the straw altogether in their daily practices:

Banana Boat, Boynton Beach, FL • Beach House Restaurant , Bradenton Beach, FL • Black Pearl, Shoreline, WA • Blue Moon Beach Grill, Outer Banks, NC • Blue Water Cafe, Vancouver, Canada • Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar, Outer Banks, NC • Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market • Burleigh at Kennebunkport Inn, Kennebunk, ME • Cactus Flower Cafe, Navarre, FL • Café Magnolia, Mechanicsburg, PA • Café Magnolia, Mechanicsburg, PA • Captain Buck’s Port, Conway, SC • Central Kitchen, Los Angeles, CA • Chart House, San Francisco, CA • CoCo’s Sunset Grille, Tybee Island, GA • Colony Grill, Stamford CT • Congdon’s Donuts, Wells, ME • Cooper’s Seafood House, Scranton, PA • Corby’s Public House, Dallas, OR • Crab House, San Francisco, CA • DePalmas, Athens, GA • Dock Square Coffee House, Kennebunk, ME • Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, Longboat Key, FL • Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, Longboat Key, FL • Eagle Café, San Francisco, CA • Farm Boy, Ontario, Canada • Fog Harbor Fish House, San Francisco, CA • Fogarty’s, Sanford, ME • Green Turtle Inn, Islamorada, FL • Gritty’s, Portland, ME • Hana Zen Japanese Grill, San Francisco, CA • Hard Rock Café,  San Francisco, CA • Hillbottom Pie, Port Townsend, WA • Hilltop Grill, Athens, GA • Home.Made, Athens, GA • Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL • Jerseys, Shoreline, WA • Kitchen Outfitters, Acton, MA • Le’s Pho Thai, Shoreline, WA • Loco’s, Athens, GA • Luau Lounge, San Francisco, CA • Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant, North Longboat Key, FL  • Melt Bar and Grill,  Cleveland, OH • Monka Brewing Co., Shoreline, WA • Moon River Brewing Company, Savannah, GA • Moon Rose Café, Kennebunk, ME • Nollies Taco Joint, Carolina Beach, NC • Noodles, Northampton, MA • North Beach Bar & Grill, Tybee Island, GA • Ocean Eddie’s Seafood Restaurant, Virginia Beach, VA • Old Stone Steakhouse, Belmont, NC • Panini’s Bar & Grill, Cleveland, OH • Patty Pan Cooperative, Shoreline, WA • Players Sports Grill & Arcade, San Francisco, CA • Poe’s Tavern- Wrightsville Beach, NC • Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, Portsmouth, NH • Pub W, Oklahoma City, OK • Quarterdeck Restaurant, Dania, FL • R. F. O’Sullivan & Son, Somerville, MA • Red Mill Burgers, Seattle, WA • Ridgecrest Public House, Shoreline, WA • River Rocks Restaurant, Rockledge, FL • Salt Island Fish & Beer Co., Tybee Island, GA • Sandbar Restaurant, Anna Maria Island, FL • Shake N Go, Shoreline WA • Smoked Bar & Grill, Hershey, PA • Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ, Shoreline, WA • South Philly Hoagies, Harrisburg, PA • Spirit of the Massachusetts, Kennebunk, ME • Spiro’s Pizza and Pasta, Shoreline, WA • Stripes Pub & Grill, Navarre, FL • Suni’s Pizza & Burgers, Shoreline, WA • Swiss Louis Italian & Seafood Restaurant, San Francisco, CA • The Bitter End, Wells, ME • The Boat House, Kennebunk, ME • The Chocolate Avenue Grill, Hershey, PA • The Colony, Kennebunk, ME • The Deck Beach Bar and Kitchen, Tybee Island, GA • The Dubliner Restaurant, Washington D.C. • The Governor’s Inn, Rochester, NH • The Grill, Athens, GA • The National, Athens, GA • The Slippery Mermaid, Navarre, FL • The Table, Athens, GA • Tidal Creek Co-op, Wilmington, NC • University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL • Wake n’ Bacon BBQ, Shoreline, WA • Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club, Holmes Beach, FL • Windjammers on the Pier, Navarre Beach, FL • Wipeout Bar & Grill, San Francisco, CA • Yachtsman Inn & Marina, Kennebunk, ME

Who is advocating for Skip the Straw?

Big thank you to the on-the-ground partners who are working in their local communities to reduce plastic single-use straws!

Anglers for Conservation, FL • Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol, Jacksonville, FL • Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, Portsmouth, NH • Boy Scouts of America, multiple packs • Burlington County Clean Communities • Butterfly House & Aquarium, Sioux Falls, SD • Carteret County Big Sweep, Morehead City, NC • Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clearwater, FL • Coastal Connections & Indian River Co. Public Works • Cooper Academy an IB World School, Fresno, CA • Dewees Island Sea Turtle Patrol, Dewees Island, SC • District Department of Energy and the Environment, Washington DC • Downeast Institute, Beals, ME • Everett Marina, Everett, WA • Fight Dirty Tybee & Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers, Tybee Island, GA • Fripp Island Turtle Program, SC • Georgia Sea Turtle Center Marine Debris Initiative, Jekyll Island, GA • Girl Scouts of America, multiple troops • Great Outdoor Provision Co., Virginia Beach, VA • Green Turtle Inn, Islamorada, FL • Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, Kennebunk, ME • Hammond High School • Havenworth Coastal Conservation, Palmetto, FL • Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC • Keep Golden Isles Beautiful • Leonard J. Raker Nature Center Discovery Lab • Livingston Recycling and Reclamation Committee, Livingston, NJ • Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Juno Beach, FL • Maine Coastal Program, Augusta, ME • Marine Education Center & Aquarium, Skidaway Island and Georgia Association of Marine Education (GAME) • Maryland DNR • Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Cleveland, OH • National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD • Natural Restorations • Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center • North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC • Ocean Lakes Family Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC • ODNR Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, Huron, OH • Palmetto Elementary, Miami, FL • Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Erie, PA • Phillips Management • Plastic Ocean Project, Morehead City, NC • Rainbow Reef Dive Center, Key Largo, FL • Roosevelt High School, Fresno, CA • Save the Manatees Club, Palm Bay, FL • Sea Turtle Adventures, Boynton Beach, FL • Sea Turtle Conservancy, Gainesville, FL • Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc., St. Pete Beach, FL • Shilshole Liveaboard Association • Space Coast Audubon Society & Women of the Wild (WOW) • STEAM Program, Valley Preparatory of Redlands, Yucaipa, CA • Sunset Beach Turtle Watch, NC • Sustainable Seacoast • Trash To Treasure, Ft. Lauderdale, FL • University of Redlands • University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, FL • Vista View School, Fountain Valley, CA • Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project, Wrightsville Beach, NC

I wanted the Skip the Straw campaign to be implemented on campus because it is the perfect environment to expose the idea to a niche of specific people.

Sam Huskey

Community Outreach Committee Leader

“I wanted the Skip the Straw campaign to be implemented on campus because it is the perfect environment to expose the idea to a niche of specific people.”

Sam Huskey

Community Outreach Committee Leader

Read more about Sam Huskey’s story of skipping the straw at University of North Carolina–Wilmington’s, Plastic Ocean Project (UNCW-POP).