EF! Newswire
This Earth Day there is a call to put an end to these straws of destruction… Or, maybe to just slow them down a little bit.
But should we really spend our energy getting wrapped up in feel-good crap like banning straws this Earth Day and risk missing the big picture of an industrial society that’s turning the planet into a corporate-sponsored wasteland, speckled with resort islands for the elite. The Be Straw Free Project says, sure.
For those who remember the old Wolves and Poodles section of the Earth First! Journal, this would be what we called a poodle.
“I’m not out to ban plastic straws. Just cut back on them. Way back, if possible.” That’s Milo Cress, the kid from Vermont who wants to reduce the use of plastic disposable straws in restaurants. In 2011, at the age of 9, he founded the Be Straw-Free project, which focuses on building awareness about plastic waste and its impact on the environment. Since then, Milo has visited local and international cities around the world, urging restaurant owners to adopt his “Offer First” policy, where straws would be offered first rather than being included automatically with served beverages.
The project has attracted the attention of The National Restaurant Association and restaurants across the states of Vermont, Colorado, Illinois and Maine have pledged to use fewer straws. Milo’d been part of press events in over 30 countries including Malaysia, Canada and South Korea.
So, whose backing Milo up (not to mention flying him around the world for media events)? Well, the corporation that owns the website is resort company called Xanterra. Along with fighting to dismantle the plastic straw industrial complex, Xanterra also specializes in solar-powered yuppie retreat centers, privately, such as their facility in Death Valley, and inside publically-owned State and National Parks. We didn’t find any specific dirt about Xanterra yet (such as the similar solar plans wiping out desert tortoise habitat), we’re still digging, and with a company like that, it seems like its only a matter of time.
While we respect that Milo seems to give a shit about the planet, and we also hate plastic straws, we also think he might be getting in with the wrong crowd. One might possibly even say “you’re entering a world of pain, son.“
[EF! News Note: Word has it that the Earth First! Journal may be bringing the Wolves and Poodle section back this year, by popular demand! If you wanna see for yourself, subscribe here.]
