Saving the planet- One Glass Straw at a Time!

With all the talk about saving the planet, and the health warnings about plastic, I have started buying glass items used in the kitchen.

Instead of storing leftovers in the usual plastic containers, I have started using Pyrex when I can, or other glass containers. I have seriously considered using large mouth canning jars to store leftovers in the fridge.

I got rid of a lot of my plastic drinking glasses, (I kept only the ones with a 5 in the recycle triangle on the bottom), and have tried to be more conservative with my use of plastic bags, by buying reusable bags to take grocery shopping.

We bought a filter for our sink for drinking water instead of buying all of those water bottles. We use to buy a 24 pack of waters twice a week! That is a lot of plastic bottles! But that is also a lot of money.

Growing up in the country with our own well, I would have never dreamed I'd be paying for water one day! But for $5 bucks a 24-pack, times 2 a week= over $500.00 a year for drinking water! On top of that, we pay for water into the house every month. So we decided to buy the filter and save some of that money and cut back on plastic usage. I do miss the convenience of grabbing a cold bottle of water out of the fridge to take with me wherever. I have been looking at stainless steel water bottles and plan to buy each of us one.

So to set up this next statement you need to know that I am a straw drinker. I think everything taste better when sipped through a straw. Just as I still believe that Sonic ice makes things taste better, but that is another post.

I use straws most of the time when I drink from a glass. However, I have been wondering if all of that straw sucking is going to lead to wrinkles around my mouth, similar to a smokers wrinkles from dragging on cigarettes for years? Anyway, for now, I plan to continue my habit of drinking through a straw.

So with all of this in mind, I ran across a link for this great place that you can buy glass straws! Yes, glass straws! I had never thought of that before. I am sure you can buy them other places, but I had never seen them before. How neat!

I decided to order one. I love it! It is so great. That little clinking sound it makes up against the ice and the side of a the drinking glass, it is music to my ears! It must be a familiar sound from my childhood that brings comfort by hearing it again. I also love the feel of it; perfectly round, smooth, cool, and solid. I think I will order more.

If you are interested, here is a link to this great place called the Glass Dharma. Check it out. They have these great little straw cozies and cleaning brushes for your straw. I got the simple elegance straw, but they have a couple of other choices.

Even if your not that into "saving the planet", these glass straws are great. They are also a fun conversation piece when you take it with you out to eat. Just don't leave it behind, they are a bit pricey, but well worth it!