This Film Will Make You Never Want To Use A Plastic Straw Again

New STRAWS documentary aims to create a sea of change, one straw at a time

Have you ever paused to notice how many straws you use in one day? In one week? Most people don’t sit around tallying up their straw usage, but it might become your new obsession, especially since being cognizant could literally help save the planet.

A new documentary about the little thing you slurp your beverages through will rock your world. The trailer for STRAWS just got released ahead of screenings worldwide and if the snippet is any indication of this film’s powerful message, it will have a huge impact on our habits. There’s really nothing quite like seeing a straw shoved down the nostril of a turtle to make you re-think straws. You can’t unsee it. You can’t unlearn the fact that straws account for 8.5 cubic tons of plastic pollution in our oceans every year.

Here’s the short trailer to give you a taste.

The trailer opens with: “Why do you think someone invented straws? What do you think this straw is trying to solve, what problem?” A young boy answers laughingly, “I guess just the problem of having to lift the cup to your face,” seemingly considering the ridiculousness of it all. That’s not to say straws for people who physically need them are a problem, but what most straws are made of -plastic – is basically a design flaw. Not only that, they’re damaging our planet.

“For a lot of people, even myself, it’s really an ah-ha moment,” Linda Booker, the film’s director, tells Goop. “Plastic straws are a habit, and when you do kind of stop to mull it over, you realize you don’t need them.”

To be clear, the educational film isn’t anti-straws. It’s anti-plastic straws. The documentary isn’t asking for the sun, the moon, the stars, (well, maybe it kind of is,) it’s just asking for humans to use straws more wisely. It can be as simple as ordering a drink at a restaurant and saying, “No straw please.” Or asking your local eateries to consider only offering straws upon request, instead of automatically plopping one in a drink.

The other option is for people to start using straws made of other materials. As Goop so brilliantly pointed out, there are paper straws on the market that can be recycled (even biodegradable options), steel straws, glass, grain, and brass.

The great thing about the straw problem is that it takes a really small adjustment on our part. It’s so easy to simply not use (plastic) straws.

The film is only 30 minutes long and kid-friendly. There are public screenings of STRAWS happening all around the country and world or you can organize a screening in your community and buy education use rights on their website. It sounds like an awesome flick to bring into schools for our kids.

As for me, the trailer was enough to kick me in the booty and say no more to slurping my iced coffee through a plastic contraption. It was the last straw. Will it be yours?