Glass straws save the planet, one drink at a time.

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“I can’t really say what I’m sippin’ on,” laments American hip hop indie-pop group The Cataracts in their Top 40 anthem, “Top of the World.” They wouldn’t have that problem if they were using a transparent glass straw. But glass straws are useful for more than just identifying what you’re drinking. Take these stats into consideration:

First, it is estimated that Americans use and toss approximately 500 million plastic drinking straws every single day. That would fill more than 127 of your typical school buses.

Second, daily usage of plastic straws doesn’t include the manufacturing and exporting of these straws. For example, Virginia’s Tetra Pak Tubex Inc. estimates that it manufactured and shipped approximately four billion straws in 2010 alone. Yes, billion.

So while it may seem trivial, using a glass straw instead of a plastic straw in your next margarita can make a difference for the environment. As they say, every little straw helps. Or something like that.

Available online from Organic Lifestyle.