Outlaw the Straw

The Lodge Joins Local Students Working to Ban Single-Use Plastic Straws in Truckee

Kyla McCarthy Smith and Dela Preaseau remember the exact moment when they decided to change the world. They were watching a marine biology video at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School (SELS), where they’re both in fourth grade, and saw footage of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose.

“The turtle had swallowed a straw and tried to regurgitate it through its nose,” Kyla says. “A bunch of us were like, ‘What the heck? Why are we using these straws that hurt animals?’”

Kyla, Dela and the rest of their class – the Akers/Brisbin crew of fourth- and fifth-graders at SELS – decided to take action. They learned all about how single-use plastic straws damage the environment, and the facts were staggering.

“Five hundred million plastic straw are used every day in the United States,” Dela says. “It can wrap around the globe 2.5 times every day.” That’s enough plastic straws to fill 125 school buses each day, all headed for oceans or rivers or (if we’re lucky) landfills, where they’ll take as long as 500 years to decompose.

The SELS crew decided that enough is enough. Many stopped using plastic straws immediately, and got family and friends to do the same. Some started bringing metal straws with them to restaurants, and keeping reusable straws in their cars.

The class created a presentation called “Outlaw the Straw,” hoping to ban single-use plastic straws from Truckee restaurants, and were thrilled when the project won third place in the Shane McConkey Foundation 2018 EcoChallenge, which funds innovative projects that protect the environment and fight climate change. They also split into groups and began giving the presentation to local restaurants, including The Lodge, which has committed to changing its straw policy to paper straws by request only.

“As a crew, we believe that the next steps toward a wonderfully eco-friendly town would be if we act locally and think globally and we can truly make a difference,” Kyla says. The crew is collecting signatures on a petition to get on the agenda for Truckee Town Council, and hopes to lead the way as North Lake Tahoe catches up with the environmental efforts of South Lake Tahoe, where restaurants no longer will be allowed to use plastic foam containers, plastic cutlery, cups or straws beginning in October.

“It feels amazing to make this great project for our community because soon it could grow to California, let’s say, then the United States, and then the world,” Kyla says. “One project at one school can make a huge difference.”

For information on signing the petition or getting involved, email Lynn Akers at lakers@truckeecharterschool.org or Julie Brisbin at jbrisbin@truckeecharterschool.org.

In Their Own Words: Thoughts from the Students in the Akers/Brisbin Crew at SELS

“Plastic straws really hurt our environment, near and far. Please help us Outlaw the Straw in Truckee. By making our campaign a law, we can truly make a difference in the world.”
– Aili, age 9

“I believe that we should ban plastic straws from Tahoe Donner so we can be a good example to the Town of Truckee. Please use the Outlaw the Straw campaign as an example to Tahoe Donner to ban single use disposable plastic straws. Act locally and think globally!”
– Kyla, age 9

“I care about saving our town, by doing this we need to ban straws from our town, we need your help to save our earth.”
– Sierra, age 10

“I think that the Outlaw the Straw campaign can help the wildlife and the trout in Truckee. If people want to use straws then you can use all types of straws that do not hurt the wildlife.”
– Adriana, age 10

“Our campaign against using single-use plastic straws promotes awareness for the effects of plastic straws to our beautiful earth.”
– Faith, age 10

“We have been working on a campaign called Outlaw the Straw, which means no using plastic straws. 500,000,000 straws are thrown out every day, that’s enough to wrap the world 2.5 times.”
– Jahotzy, age 11

“We want to pursue our campaign Outlaw the Straw. Plastic straws are making animals and ecosystems impaired in various places. If Truckee bans plastic straws we can save our town and help others save their towns.”
– Maris, age 11

“Truckee outlawing the straw can truly make a difference. We don’t want to live on an earth that is polluted, and that is what plastic straws are doing. By outlawing the straw we will save lives.”
– Brennan, age 10

“Would you still be sucking on a straw if you knew it can kill ocean wildlife? I wouldn’t! We know that single-use disposable plastic straws are killers, and that’s why we have started our campaign, Outlaw the Straw.”
– Donovan, age 11

“Help us make America clean again with Outlaw the Straw in Truckee and Tahoe.”
– Griffin, age 10

“The fourth and fifth grade Akers and Brisbin crews at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School have created a campaign called Outlaw the Straw in hope that our beloved town of Truckee will ban single-use plastic straws so that our ecosystem and wildlife will stay healthy so we can continue to enjoy the Tahoe area.”
– Maeve, age 10

“We are trying to Outlaw the Straw in Truckee, and how you can help us is use no plastic straws and use reusable straws if they are necessary. Help make America clean again.”
– Tosh, age 9

“Why plastic straws? Sure straws are fine, but why did we have to use plastic to make them? Help us make a difference in Truckee, and maybe someday, the world!”
– Annika, age 9

“Truckee will still be Truckee without plastic straws.”
– Kaya, age 11

“Lately we have been working on a project to Outlaw the Straw in Truckee restaurants. We have been collecting plastic straws from the restaurants that are going plastic straw free in Truckee. We are planning on making a plastic straw turtle out of the straws we collect.”
– Jessica, age 10

“Outlaw the Straw is a campaign that is trying to get rid of single-use plastic straws in Truckee to save the marine life.”
– Hunter, age 10

“I am asking you to ban plastic straws in Truckee. I want you to do this because plastic straws are wrecking are our earth.”
– Ian, age 10

“Outlaw the Straw is a straw drive and we want to ban plastic straws in Truckee. Straws are wrecking our environment and our town. Please give us your straws at the school SELS. Help us ban straws.”
– Alex, age 11

“I believe that straws are bad for the environment because they can kill many animals, especially sea animals. We can use glass, paper, bamboo and metal straws. OUTLAW THE STRAW!”
– Dela, age 10

“I believe that the Outlaw the Straw campaign is saving the environment because it is saving the environment.”
– Hank, age 10

“Our class is working on a project to ban plastic straws in Truckee.”
– Lucas, age 11

“178 billion single use plastic straws go in the ocean every year (just in America) because of our waste.”
– Jackson, age 11

“I think Outlaw the Straw means No More Straws in Truckee. We are trying to get rid of single-use plastic straws in Truckee. The damage that plastic straws have done is incredibly bad. Can you step up and help us?”
– Zach, age 11

“My crew and I are trying to OUTLAW THE STRAW by banning straws in Truckee. We know and have researched all about the straws (plastic straws) and what they do to our earth. They kill and pollute of ecosystem and environment. That is why I think that we should OUTLAW THE STRAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
– Ava, age 10

“I believe that we can Outlaw the Straw in Truckee because it is bad for animals and the environment. We are trashing everything and that is not good for our earth. It will not be healthy for us because every fish or shrimp we eat after they ate plastic, which is not good for us at all, but if we work together we can OUTLAW THE STRAW!”
– Estefania, age 10

“Our Outlaw the Straw campaign is cool because we have more and more restaurants help us save our environment.”
– Ezra, age 11

“Our campaign is meant to be heard so that we can truly make a difference. We need to make our beautiful mountain town eco friendly and straw free!!”
– Oona, age 10

“The Outlaw the Straw campaign isn’t just a random drive to make a law, it’s a life saver to animals.”
– Vincent, age 10

“The Outlaw the Straw campaign is very important to the environment and can help save plants and animals.”
– Megan, age 11

“The Outlaw the Straw campaign is a great campaign to help the environment and I am really excited about it.”
– Paul, age 11

“Why I think we should outlaw the straw is because when birds see plastic straws or any animal they think its food and eat it.”
– Jillian, age 10

“In my opinion the Outlaw the Straw campaign is helping the environment because it helps animals who might get injured because of them.”
– Avery, age 9

“The Outlaw the Straw campaign is more than just a campaign because we are trying to save earth from the harm that can happen with plastic straws.”
– Ben, age 10