Kicking ‘one-use’ plastic habit

Jim and Woody Walker own the OK Bicycle Shop and Liquid Lounge eateries in downtown Mobile, Ala., where they serve fares of gourmet Mexican cuisine and sushi. The brothers consider themselves environmentally conscious; and began this year to make strides by ordering paper straws instead of plastic - like it or not. “It’s amazing the kickback we’ve gotten from straws," Jim Walker told Alabama Public Radio. Environmentalism is one thing. Economics is a different animal. A “to-go” container made of Styrofoam cost less than 1-cent before the duo replaced it with paper ones at a cost of 98 cents each. Mississippi State University and the federal government seem ready to help. “We just want people to make whatever changes they can, no matter how small they seem, every time that we skip the plastic, we make a difference,” said Elizabeth Engelbretsen, a public interest landscape designer with MSU’s design studio, and works with its Plastic Free Gulf Coast initiative. MSU is teaming with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to hand out Marine Debris Prevention Grants. Plastic Free Gulf Coast decides who gets the money - about $14,000 in total. One business in each of the five Gulf States gets one. The Walkers were a good fit for Alabama. At the Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis, Miss., the grant helped owners wean themselves off of single-use plastics over seven months without raising prices to its customers. “We’re helping them make up the overage until we can figure out how they’re going to do this long term,” says Engelbretsen. Plastic Free Gulf Coast can’t yet tackle major issues, but the single-use of plastics is a positive start. The Marine Debris Prevention Grant is one local application of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s expansive Gulf Star program. (Source: Alabama Public Radio 09/03/19) https://www.apr.org/post/kicking-one-use-plastic-habit-mobile