Opportunity Belief -4A

Assignment 4A- Opportunity Belief

               I believe that there is an awful need for the solution of the paper straw epidemic. Last summer a viral video displaying a sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged in its nose took the world by storm and a it spurred a movement to ban the use of plastic straws. Environmental activism was now a popular stance and the “VSCO girl” metal straw became all the rage. Over the course of the past few months it has only grown in popularity and some local governments, like our very own Alachua county, have banned the use of plastic straws. The only problem with this is that the all institutions transferred to paper straw replacements. If you have not experienced the hell that is drinking from a paper straw, I warn you to take my word for it and understand it is awful. They essentially disintegrate in your drink and bend and break easily. Now I fully believe that plastic straws are harmful to the environment and do not argue that fact. Americans use 500 disposable drinking straws every day (www.nps.gov/articles/straw-free.htm) and polluting our planet with that much plastic is objectively harmful no matter what your opinion on straws is. But there has to be a solution out there that can reduce the pollution of the environment while not forcing individuals to drink from straws that fall apart during use. Some people have started to use metal or reusable plastic straws, yet these are not sanitary and not always available. At this point I am about 75% sure this need exists.

#1: A female college freshman who visits Starbucks multiple times a day

·        Have you ever had to drink out of a paper straw?  Yeah

·        What challenges come from drinking out of a paper straw? They disintegrate in your drink and it tastes bad. They’re bad for long term drinking.

·        Do you feel that there is a substantial impact being made by transferring to paper straws? Not really.

·        Would you pay a (small) extra fee to use a straw that is not paper? Maybe depending on where I was and what I was drinking.

·        Do you currently use a reusable straw (metal/silicone)? I have one but I don’t use it.

·        If not, Why? I forget to bring it with me. Also I feel weird putting my metal straw into a plastic cup, like I will be judged.

·        Do you believe that plastic straws are harmful? Yes to an extent but there are much bigger issues to be focused on.

·        Are you aware there are 500 million straws used by Americans every day? No but I know it’s a lot.

Reflection: Some people understand that the excess straws cause an issue to the environment, yet still do not see it as a detrimental environmental impact.

#2: A male senior who majors in environmental science

·        Have you ever had to drink out of a paper straw? Yes

·        What challenges come from drinking out of a paper straw? They wilt and it’s hard to drink out of.

·        Do you feel that there is a substantial impact being made by transferring to paper straws? For the environment yes, in everyday life no.

·        Would you pay a (small) extra fee to use a straw that is not paper? No because I am cheap.

·        Do you currently use a reusable straw (metal/silicone)? When I’m at home.

·        If not, Why? NA

·        Do you believe that plastic straws are harmful? Not really, it accounts for such a small portion of plastic waste while industries such as fishing contributes to plastic waste a heck of a lot more.

·        Are you aware there are 500 million straws used by Americans every day? I knew that there are very common, but no, I was unaware of the exact number.

Reflection: Even people who are educated about the environment and impacts on it still are unhappy with the switch to paper straws and additionally believe the focus is misplaced and dedicated to a smaller issue in terms of environmental impacts.

#3: A 60 something year old Sorority house mom from Texas living in Gainesville.

·        Have you ever had to drink out of a paper straw? Yes unfortunately.

·        What challenges come from drinking out of a paper straw? The straw becomes very wet, floppy, and starts to disintegrate.

·        Do you feel that there is a substantial impact being made by transferring to paper straws? No not really I mostly feel like its just first world problems.

·        Would you pay a (small) extra fee to use a straw that is not paper? No way!

·        Do you currently use a reusable straw (metal/silicone)? NOPE

·        If not, Why? I’m skeptical of using a straw that’s hard to clean.

·        Do you believe that plastic straws are harmful? To animals in the sea yes.

·        Are you aware there are 500 million straws used by Americans every day? Yikes no.

Reflection: Older citizens are not necessarily aware of the issues behind the switch from plastic to paper straws although they are still affected by it. And because of their different mindset they are unlikely to adopt a reusable option.

Summary:
I believe the opportunity is still there and I am actually more encouraged by the unanimous agreement that paper straws are all around bad. This shows that the customer base is essentially anyone who lives in an area where plastic straws are banned. Some people have the reusable plastic and metal options but for the majority that solution is not widely used as it is difficult to remember and clean. I think that entrepreneurs need to adapt to customer feedback to a certain extent, but not to the point where it changes the nature of their product or service. By adapting you may find more success, but adapting too much can take away from your original solution idea.