“Straws” the Documentary Tonight at MCC

Free Screening and Panel Discussion at MCC

From the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County:

It’s estimated every day 500,000,000+ plastic straws are used once and tossed in the U.S. alone.

Ocean Conservancy ranks straws as the #5 most found litter item on beaches.

Rhonda Howle of Expressly Leslie Vegetarian Restaurant in the Woodstock Square Mall, also the location of the Environmental Defenders’ office and book store, stands by the Defenders’ new “no straws” display in support of reducing the use of single-use plastic straws for the benefit of the environment.

They’re non-recyclable, so they wind up in landfills, litter streets and add to the estimated 8.5 million metric tons of plastic debris in oceans annually.

Join the Environmental Defenders for a screening of the documentary film, “STRAWS,” by Linda Booker with co-sponsors McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Program, Environmental Defenders, Blue Planet Club of Woodstock High School, the Joint Commissions of Social & Cultural Awareness and Environment, City of Woodstock, and Down to Earth Club and Sustainability Center at McHenry County College.

Tuesday April 10, 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  Running time – 32 minutes.

At McHenry County College Luecht Conference Center.

The film kicks-off a joint program of McHenry County College and The Environmental Defenders called – The Last Straw – which advocates for the reduction of plastic straws in McHenry County and explores options for reducing their use and replacing them with alternatives.

Co-Sponsors: Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, McHenry County College Sustainability Center and Down to Earth Club, McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Program (McSEEP), Blue Planet Club of Woodstock High School, Joint Commission of Environment/Social & Cultural Awareness, City of Woodstock.

The Environmental Defenders helps educate the public on environmental issues, in part, through free screenings of documentary films.  Founded in 1970, The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a non-profit, grassroots membership organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment in McHenry County.

Film is following by a panel discussion with experts on single-use plastic pollution and waste reduction including Jordan Parker, Bring Your Bag Chicago; Kim Hankins, McHenry County College Sustainability Center; Erica Poremba, Joint Environment/Social & Cultural Awareness Commission, Woodstock; Rhienna McClain Trevino, 1776 Restaurant; Cynthia Kanner, BYOBag McHenry County, Environmental Defenders. Moderated by McSEEP.


Comments

“Straws” the Documentary Tonight at MCC — 20 Comments

  1. This film uses statistics made up from an elementary school student’s science project. You don’t help your cause by embellishing facts.

  2. Oh come on, straws? Disposable Diapers are the real problem . . . time to go back to Cloth Diapers, they can be recycled and used over and over. I remember when the Greenies picked up Cigarette Buts of the Beach in California, to show the danger of smoking on the beach. Well guess what folks, they ignored all the soiled Disposable Diapers left behind.

  3. Except for a thick milk shake or malt, there really is no need to use a straw. But, if people insist on drinking with a straw rather than sipping from the rim of cup or glass, then paper straws should be used.

    One popular fast food restaurant I frequent in Crystal Lake sometimes includes a plastic straw with my cup of coffee and sandwich at the drive-thru window. How nuts is that? Who would drink coffee with a straw?

  4. I bartended at the Hangge Uppe downtown in the early 80’s.

    My lips have never touched the rim of a glass since.

  5. The Lefties have got to have something to cry
    about so as to further their “climate change” agenda
    which, as we all know, is sure to follow.
    This is just the latest incarnation of their twisted methodology
    to exercise control over the masses.

  6. When will our dear snowflakes cease their cinematic yammerings?

  7. Five hundred million plastic straws a day is about one and a half plastic straws a day per person in this country.

    I’ve seen that number bandied about a lot, but I’ve never seen any hard data cited to support it.

    I have a lot of trouble believing it.

  8. How about the cost of illegal aliens with their old cars jamming the highways? What about the eco effects of that? They’d leave smaller carbon footprints if they’d stay in the 3rd world!

  9. http://www.ecocycle.org/bestrawfree/faqs

    The facts come from the Straw manufacturers themselves. This is not just an environmental issue, but an economic issue as well. The same goes for single use plastic bags. There is a cost for both products. Did anyone attend the showing of Straws? There was a panel afterwards that discussed the straw issue and different ways to reduce single use plastic in mchenry county. Disposable diapers are definitely a problem as well, but this event discussed single use plastic. Instead of racists comments like Townships$teal or “snowflakes” and “lefties” comments let’s intellectually discuss topics to make things better.

  10. Start with drive-thru resturants. Ask them why they put straws in your bag of sandwich and drinks. Why not eliminate putting straws at the drive-up window? Can anybody justify why a straw is needed for a soft drink or coffee at drive-up?

  11. Looking for anybody who can justify use of straw except for thick malts or milt shakes. Do real men use straws?

  12. I like straws. As an American, that used to be justification enough.

  13. Satan is loosed upon the face of the earth and these people are choosing to make their final stand all about plastic straws. Meh.

  14. Satan has spoken. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, meow, meeeeeoooooowwwwwww…

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