Help us save the planet one drink at a time

In celebration of Earth Day, we’re challenging you, our That’s So Tampa faithful, to help us save the planet one drink at a time.

It’s likely you’ve seen a lot of buzz about ditching plastic straws, but do you know why it’s so important? According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million plastic straws each day. The small size of plastic straws make them unrecyclable, so, unfortunately, most of them end up in landfills. However, about a third of those 500 million straws whether they’re left on beaches, washed into drains, or even just thrown away, find their way into our waters and ultimately harm our marine life.

After the success of I Love the Burg’s No Straws St. Pete campaign, we decided to stir up some change on this side of the bridge. In 2018, we teamed up with Bank OZK and The Florida Aquarium to create Skip the Straw FL, a simple challenge for local businesses and residents designed to make an impact in Tampa and beyond. Here is how you can #TakeTheChallenge:

As a consumer, you can:

• Ask for your drink without the straw. If you don’t medically need it you won’t miss it, we promise.
• Consider a reusable straw made of stainless steel, bamboo, or glass to take with you everywhere. Hey, it’s a conversation starter.
• Talk about it. You might have to tell somebody they “suck”, but eventually, they’ll thank you.

If you are a local business owner:

• Sign up today and receive a FREE Skip the Straw decal for your business.
• Provide straws only when requested by a customer. They won’t leave a terrible Yelp review over that missing straw, they probably won’t even notice.
• Provide either compostable or reusable straws when they ask for one. With all that money you’ll be saving from using fewer straws, why not?
• Get rid of straws completely. Quitting cold turkey isn’t for everybody, but your brand is bold and always ahead of the pack.

We can make a difference.

Together, we can help stem the tides that are washing up more and more plastic straws upon our shores. Through efforts by local leaders like The Florida Aquarium CEO, Roger Germann, the support of conscious businesses like Bank OZK, and the help of consumers like you, it can be done.
These local businesses have decided to Take the Challenge. Now it’s your turn!

Have you already taken the challenge and eliminated plastic straws? Check out these five ways to reduce the other single-use plastics in your life.

Armature Works
Bamboozle Cafe Downtown
Bamboozle Channelside
Bay Coffee & Tea Company
Bella’s Italian Cafe
Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q(All Locations)
BT in a Box
Ciccio Cali
Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
Ichicoro Ramen
Ichicoro Imoto
Kahwa Coffee (All Locations)
Lucky’s Hot Dogs
MacDinton’s Irish Pub
Montados
Noble Crust (All Locations)
Oystercatchers
Raw Smoothie Co.
Rooster & the Till
Tampa Bay Lightning
Taps Burger Bar and Gastropub
Taps Restaurant Bar and Lounge
Tervis
The Blind Tiger Cafe (All Locations)
The Mermaid Tavern
The Stone Soup Company
Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q (All Locations)
Yard of Ale
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