7A

7A-

Paper Straw Solution

·         Opportunity:

o   The updated regulations banning the use of plastic straws in Gainesville has caused businesses and other straw using entities to switch to paper straws. This is a far unequal substitute as paper straws are truly unusable.

§  The who: All Gainesville residents who are unsatisfied with the plastic straw substitute.

§  The what: Paper straws are an insufficient replacement.

§  The why: Plastic straws have been commonly rallied against after a viral video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose. The transfer to paper straws is because of the reduced impact they have on the environment.

o   Testing the who: Gainesville is not the only city which has banned the use of plastic straws, thus the who is not limited to Gainesville residents, but to all people who are affected by the implementation of paper straws. However, I think the who is limited to those that are unhappy with the paper straws. Some individuals find no problem switching to the paper version and others have decided to skip straws all together.

o   Testing the what: Paper straws are less durable than the usual plastic versions. While some people are satisfied with the less suitable version, the majority feel as though the paper straw movement is negatively impacting them more than it is positively impacting the environment.

o   Testing the why:  The reason paper straws are necessary is because they are biodegradable and thus less impactful to the environment as a whole. By no longer using it, plastic straw is now not a threat to wildlife and ecosystems around the world.

• Interview #1: In this interview I learned that elderly individuals use straws in order to reduce the effect cold drinks have on their sensitive gums and teeth. The ban on plastic straws has caused them to rely on paper which does not fully function in the same way. This individual even had dentures, which struggle to grasp the shape of paper straws and when pieces flake off they can get stuck into small gaps. 
• Interview #2: This interview revealed to me that there are individuals who don’t even believe that paper straws make a difference on the impact of the environment. They are angry that their lifestyle must be changed for something that doesn’t make a dent in the overall use of plastic. This shows me that there is a mentality that a plastic substitute is unnecessary and unimportant. 
• Interview #3: In this interview the individual recalled a time where she was pina colada and the straw split in two. This caused her to decide to ditch the straw and lean the drink back, which she thought would work until the drink spilled onto her face. This individual does not disagree with the harmfulness of plastic straws, but 10000% believes that paper straws are not a good solution. If other, better options were available the abandonment of plastic straws would not be difficult. 
• Interview #4: The individual in this interview admitted that she buys bulk packs of plastic straws and keeps them in her car, her home, and her office in order to bypass the updated laws banning plastic straw use. “I know it is bad,” she states “but i feel like my couple straws wont make that big of a difference.” She also claimed that she would be willing to stop using the straws if there was a more durable substitute. This can show that there is mentality that is willing to change, but not to paper.  
• Interview #5: The final interviewee shared her view as a mother of 4 children under age 6. Kids this age and younger are not usually able to sip from cups and need straws. She says that she is environmentally conscious and agrees with the ban on plastic straws. But, her children are not aware that disintegrating straws are not edible. She says that the paper straws are not a good substitute and that reusable metal straws are not safe to give younger children. 

• Summary: After the interviews, I learned that there are usually two different mentalities of the residents of plastic straw banned cities. First, the individuals who acknowledge that plastic straws are harmful, but they are not satisfied with the paper straw substitute. The second mentality is that the use of plastic straws are not that harmful to the environment and that there is no need to find a replacement. This is the main situation that I learned was that there is a whole section of people who do not even care nor are looking for a solution. This surprised me. The younger mother is the one who gave me the idea that the solution must be kid friendly as straws are not only for adults. They also must accommodate elderly individuals who have false teeth or bridges. The interviews overall made me realize that the solution i come up with must be sensitive to people with disabilities and dental issues.