4th Grader Teaches Restaurants How To 'Be Straw Free'

Most people might assume that elementary school kids are oblivious to issues of waste or over-consumption, but not Milo Cress of Burlington, Vermont.

When the 9-year-old learned that 500 million plastic straws (that's enough to fill 9,300 40 foot-long school busloads!) were distributed for use each day, he decided that this issue was too big to ignore.

"Kids don't have as much say as to whether their parents use plastic bagsor not and they can't ask for a different kind of cup if the restaurant only provides styrofoam -- but, anyone who can order a drink can order one without a straw," said Cress. 

"So [straws] seemed like a good place to start, especially since I wanted to get kids involved in a real way. Also, since we use about 40,000 straws in a lifetime, the sooner we get started the better."

Since launching the Be Straw Free project, Cress and his team of supporters have met with the Governor of Vermont to explain the initiative, testified before the Vermont House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, and recieved an endorsement from the National Restaurant Association.

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