We often concern ourselves so much with what we eat, we fail to realize the dangers in how we eat and its repercussions. As you sip your drink through a plastic straw, take a moment to realize in what you're participating. Plastic straws put the environment in danger. Make the switch to glass straws and you’ll be one step closer to saving the world.

Each year in the United States, more than 500 million disposable plastic straws are used. While one straw may seem measly at best, consider the havoc 500 million can wreak on the environment -- from landfills to waterways to the entire food chain.  Most straws are made of polypropylene, which is indicated by recycling number "5" and is a type of plastic that does not leach BPA. So while polypropylene straws are relatively safe for your health, they are a petroleum biproduct and thus not easily recyclable, or recycled in the first place.

After we use plastic straws, we often toss them into the garbage, not thinking of the consequences. But plastic straws are available at just about every fast food or chain restaurant, as well as attached to children-sized juice cartons, and are ultimately piling up in landfills along with other non-biodegradable items.

The solution to the plastic straw? Try the glass straw. Glass straws also do not leach toxins and are sturdy, easy to carry around and reusable. Glass straws are made of borosilicate glass, which is exceptionally strong and will not shatter. In the event that a glass straw does break, it will simply snap or crack. They are worth the one-time investment of $7-12.

Glass Dharma is a company that makes glass straws of various sizes, from 7 millimeters to 14 millimeters in diameter and offers “decorative dot” design choices as well. Strawesome provides a wider array of colorful, artistic glass straws that kids will love! 

Image Credit: LabyrinthX