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Starbucks is ditching straws. Here are 5 other ways to keep plastic out of the ocean.

Starbucks is the latest company to ditch plastic straws as a way to help clean up our oceans.

A single straw may seem like a tiny blip on the radar of environmental blights, but then consider that 500 million straws are used by Americans — just Americans — every day. According to CNN, that's enough plastic straws to fill 125 school buses. Every. Single. Day.

Plastic straws are a perfect size and shape for marine life to ingest, and since most of those straws end up in the ocean, that tiny blip multiplied by billions each year equals a significant problem.


Some cities have banned single-use plastic straws — though not without legitimate controversy — and many restaurants have stopped handing them out as a rule. McDonald's has plans to phase out plastic straws in its U.K. restaurants. And now Starbucks says it plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020 and redesign their drink containers to create a better strawless drinking experience.

But straws aren't the only plastic problem for our planet.

We all know by now that our oceans are in dire need of a cleanup. Thankfully, we have some promising technologies designed to help clear the garbage patches — which are largely made up of plastic debris — that have built up in the ocean's gyres.

Cleaning it up is important, but so is the fact that we need to stop contributing to the problem. Humans use and toss away tons of plastic — like straws — that many of us simply don't need to use in the first place. And despite our efforts to make sure we throw away and recycle things properly, far too much of that plastic ends up in the ocean, altering the ecosystem and threatening marine life.

Here are some ways — in addition to skipping the straw — that we can all keep more plastic out of the ocean.

1. Shop with reusable bags. Some states and cities have banned plastic grocery bags in an attempt to encourage people to bring their own. There are lots of affordable, durable alternatives to plastic grocery sacks, and they're easy to keep on hand. Though it takes some time to develop the habit of remembering to bring your own bags into the store, it's worth the effort.

2. Stop using Ziplocs. This one is tough, as few things are more convenient than a Ziploc bag. But miraculously, people survived for millennia without them, so it's definitely possible to go without. If a hard reusable container just won't cut it, try a beeswax-lined cloth snack pouch. All the convenience of a plastic bag, but without the ecological footprint.

3. Carry a reusable water bottle. Not only are plastic water bottles you buy in the store a waste of plastic, they're also a waste of money. We live in a developed nation where clean, drinkable water can be found around every corner, yet we spend up to 1,900 times more money than we need to on buying bottled water — and many of those bottles end up on beaches or floating in the ocean. Stainless steel or glass water bottles are great alternatives.

4. Buy in bulk. That little plastic bottle of oregano in the spice section of your grocery store has a high environmental and financial cost. Look for stores that sell items in bulk bins, and ask the store if they will "tare" a container you bring from home. (That means they weigh the empty container and subtract that weight from the final total after you've added your bulk item.) Spices in particular are usually far cheaper to buy in bulk, and other items, like flours, grains, and beans, often are too.

5. Pick up trash when you see it. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us are squeamish about picking up garbage out in public. We all pass garbage on our sidewalks and streets all the time, and much of it will eventually end up being washed into the sea. Make it a goal to pick up trash every time it's in your path and place it in the appropriate receptacle. (But don't put garbage in overflowing cans with no lid — it will end up blowing right back out.) An extra hand washing is a small price to pay for keeping trash out of the ocean.

Small changes in our collective habits can make a difference.

Though we all enjoy convenience, when it comes to plastics, our comfort has a high cost. Reducing our consumption, recycling when we can, and reusing as often as possible is still the trifecta of environmental stewardship. If we all do our part, we can keep our oceans clean, healthy, and beautiful for generations to come.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

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Relationship expert shares her advice on how to 'stop an argument in its tracks'

She has the perfect question to ask once your partner gets defensive.

Therapist Lauren Consul has one trick to stop arguments before they begin.

Arguments start to take off when one partner begins to get defensive. So, therapist Lauren Consul shared her relationship-saving tip to "stop an argument in its tracks" when one partner goes into self-preservation mode.

Lauren Consul is a couples and sex therapist who’s developed a following of nearly 160,000 people on TikTok and has received over 5.4 million likes. She is an infidelity expert and hosts retreats to help people "survive and thrive" after one partner has strayed.

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Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

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Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

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