On August 25, 2016, Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, Belize decided that we had had enough of plastic straws! Being an ecofriendly and sustainable resort Hamanasi believes that eliminating the use of plastic straws is one of our many ways of saying, “We love you, Mother Earth”. Prior to eliminating plastic straws, Hamanasi had been offering single use plastics straws to guests only upon request; but this was not enough.
In mid July The Last Plastic Straw reached out to Hamanasi to give us the nudge we needed. This organization’s mission is to educate the public about the absurdity of single use plastic and its effects on our health, our environment and our oceans. Each day 500 million straws are used and discarded in the United States alone. That’s 175 billion a year filtering into landfills and littering the oceans! The Last Plastic Straw challenges all bars and restaurants to be part of the movement to eliminate plastic pollution from the source. By simply stating on menus “Straws available upon request”, bars and restaurants can be part of the solution.
For this to have been a reality, Hamanasi had to source a replacement — bamboo straws! Hamanasi guests can now enjoy a cold drink from our Singanga restaurant and bar with the use of a bamboo straw – upon request, of course! The straws are thoroughly washed and dried before reuse to ensure their cleanliness. Check out The Last Plastic Straw’s map of participating businesses. Can you find Hamanasi?
When at Hamanasi we hope you will enjoy our bamboo straws. However, we encourage you to not use plastic straws anywhere! When you are a patron at other bars and restaurants, decline using a plastic straw and tell the server – or manager – why. If you like using straws, you can order online bamboo, stainless steel or even glass straws and straw cleaners. They make great holiday presents. Another simple way that you, too, can help!
