It started about 7 weeks ago. A customer who purchased several packages of our paper straws contacted us to share the news that her city council was expected to vote to ban plastic straws and utensils.
After living in Baltimore for 7 years, I knew there was a problem of plastic in our oceans, but I was also really busy trying to run a business and keep up with the general chaos of life. And since I don't live near the ocean now, it was sort of out of sight, out of mind.
But I kept going back to the idea that a city was actually about to BAN the use of plastic straws. It seemed like a pretty strong statement on what must really be a serious issue.
So a few weeks ago I started to really dig into the topic and what I found was both alarming and heart breaking.
The REVEL & Co. headquarters and warehouse is located just feet from the Colorado River, and our creative team lives on an island (literally!) in South Carolina. It pains us to think of all the plastic pollution littering our rivers and oceans.
So we spent this week on our social media highlighting the issue of plastics in our ocean, and how everybody can help with this effort simply by saying no to single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic take-out containers and cups, and plastic straws. And if you live near water, you can also volunteer for any cleanup activities, or organize one of your own!
But that just didn't seem like enough to us. If ever there was a situation that called for us to "put our money where our mouth is," this was it.
So today, on Earth Day, we are thrilled to announce that starting this month we will be donating 1% of the sales of our paper straws to The 5 Gyres Institute, whose mission is to empower action against the global health crisis of plastic pollution through science, education, and adventure.
You can help us with this initiative simply by purchasing and using our paper straws! They are made here in America of biodegradable, compostable, and chlorine-free paper. And we've tested them on a lot of margaritas (in the name of science, of course) and can assure you that they won't get soggy in your drinks.
We're super excited about this new program and hope that you are, too!
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