Saving the environment is going to take more than replacing plastic straws with bamboo.

While it makes consumers feel good about themselves to replace their straws, it certainly doesn鈥檛 contribute to replenishing half of the world鈥檚 bamboo species that are currently under the threat of extinction, according to a United Nations study.

READ MORE: 琉璃神社 bakery offers bamboo straws as alternative to plastic

While I applaud a shift in mindset towards an environmentally friendly world, it鈥檚 also a marketing scheme.

Why not ditch the straw? Or stop buying plastic entirely?

Consider the rate we use it. Plastic hasn鈥檛 been around for that long, early forms of it can be dated back to about 150 years ago, according to the article Plastic, published in National Geographic.

However, the shift towards the consumption of convenient synthetic materials came after the Second World War, the article said. Shortages of materials during the war led to synthetic creations, which are in everything from our cars to our food packaging.

The production of it also isn鈥檛 slowing down.

According to , Coca-Cola increased its production of plastic bottles by more than a billion in 2015-2016.

The drink company once used glass bottles, as did many other companies in the industry, which could be returned and reused, but that changed with the introduction of the cheaper material which the company didn鈥檛 have to truck back to its factories.

Now, the company faces criticism as plastic drink bottle production will reach more than half a trillion; only a , another article from The Guardian said.

But where does the fault lie? Should we place blame on a company that has taken advantage of a cheap alternative? Definitely, but I doubt Coca Cola intentionally wanted its bottles to end up inside a sea turtle鈥檚 belly.

READ MORE: Starbucks gets rid of plastic straws in favour of recyclable lids

If we drank less Coca Cola, there would be fewer bottles, less to recycle and less in the ocean.

Also note, China is the largest producer of plastic; it accounts for a quarter of the world鈥檚 total production, according to National Geographic. Think about that next time you tout how much you鈥檙e saving the planet when you bring a bamboo straw to a party.

Here鈥檚 the true test to see if you鈥檙e an environmental advocate, what part of your life are you willing to give up for the planet? This may mean living in a smaller house, using less electricity or water and adopting cups that don鈥檛 need a straw. Or, you know, just consuming less.

Saanich鈥檚 move to ban plastic bags and Vancouver鈥檚 plastic straw ban may have the right intent, but we have a long way to go.

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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