Dear Starbucks,

Dear Starbucks decision makers (executives, employees, stock holders, consumers),

Hi! How are you? I hope this letter reaches you well. I was pleased to read your news about the straws this morning.

(I also read about, and recognize that the needs of disabled people might require modifications to the items mentioned in this post, and I look forward to hearing from the disabled community their solutions to getting their needs met while still addressing the problems with single use plastic, which is harmful to not only our environment, but all living beings).

Me all excited that Starbucks is staying woke.

So timely! Shout out to your PR (Public Relations) team for scheduling your announcement during no plastic July. I went to write up a little post and I came across this article that outlined all your previous promises with regards to sustainability that you have made as a company, and failed to follow through with in the past.

Me after finding out Starbucks has failed to follow through on promises in the past.

No bueno. I have one request. If you don’t mind, could you share the specifics of your plan to phase out and eliminate plastic straws, and why you need until 2020 to do so? Have you looked at the counter environmental impact of your “recyclable strawless lid” alternative? Have you considered that recyclable is not a scalable, circular design solution to the problem?

Just in case you haven’t fully flushed out your plan, here are some thoughts that I have. I hope you find them helpful, and if you share your plan with me I promise to review it and give you feedback.

Me just trying to stay grateful and hope that Starbucks really is trying, and offering them solutions along with my rant. #imanangel.

1. Start with the stores that are located in coastal areas. Plastics of all kind should be eliminated from there first.
2. Start with the countries that are most impacted by plastics, and lack the resources to properly deal with the problem.
3. Implement into your training program for baristas to ask consumers when they order “did you bring your own cup?” and “do you need a straw today?”
4. In the case of my beloved United States of America, consider implementing a “bring your own initiative”. Let’s be real, our cars are big enough to carry around another cup, and our purses are big enough to carry a reusable straw. If you dare to be bold, make it policy.

Me being a bad ass making policies if I ran Starbucks. #nocupnocoffee

I’d like to flush out number three a bit more. At a minimum, you can afford to give a financial incentive for those that bring their own cup or straw. You can do this today. Why wait for 2020? It can easily be in the form of reward stars. Another option is if someone has to buy a cup in the facility they can bring it back on their next visit. A cup swap. Leave a cup, take a cup. Have a community cup swap area. Make Starbucks THE place for people to donate all their extra mugs. #Sustainabilityisalifestyle, just like Starbucks coffee.

Self explanatory.

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