I can’t sit by and watch us destroy the planet. I need to do something.
Right now, I am working to stop our mindless distribution and use of single-use plastic straws.
As a co-owner of seven restaurants and a distillery, I’ve always made sure we do not use plastic straws in our restaurants. But that isn’t enough. So, I took our efforts beyond our walls and founded a non-profit, Our Last Straw, a business-led coalition working to eliminate the distribution and use of plastic straws.
Recently, I did something else, something that surprised even me. I got on the town council in my small, Maryland town of Garrett Park.
My first order of business with the Garrett Park Town Council: Ban Plastic Straws.
Tonight, with the help of some excellent public testimony from my son Finn and his buddy Eddy the Turtle, we passed a vote banning plastic straws that will take effect on March 4, 2019, making us the first town in Maryland to implement a plastic straw ban. Our little town is taking action to make the world a better place for the future.
The City of Rockville, MD also has a plastic straw ban coming in July, and Charles County, MD has passed legislation banning straws. On Wednesday, there is straw legislation to reduce usage up for a committee discussion in our state capital too. I plan to testify that what they are proposing is not enough and encourage them to ban plastic straws across the state, rather than just reduce their use. Let’s hope the lobbyists (none of whom actually represent individual people or the environment or the interests of anyone I know) are ineffective at blunting my message.
In these ways, I am trying to do my part to make a difference everywhere I can. If you want to see our town’s legislation and learn ways to make a difference in your community, please get in touch with me in the footer below.
I encourage you to take steps from caring to acting. With even a small amount of effort, the impact can be huge.
