Oprah Winfrey impressed Michael B. Jordan with reusable straws, and I copied her
Trump's rambling about single-use plastic straws does not help the economy or environment
I don’t know why the 9:45 mark of this video caught my attention so much, maybe because I used to enjoy Oprah’s magazine with “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” In this interview, Michael B. Jordan interrupted her question during a “Super Soul Sunday” discussion to point out how much he liked the straws in the drink the staff gave him. She smiled and said that you can reuse them. As a tree hugger already, I was instantly intrigued. Considering how much he talks about his love for cooking, I shouldn’t have been surprised that he noticed something like that.
I don’t remember why I chose the straws I chose, but I went online immediately after that interview and ordered stainless steel reusable straws. I put four of them in my glove compartment, two in the bottom of my purse and the rest in a kitchen drawer at home. This interview aired on March 10, 2019, and I don’t believe I have used a single-use, plastic straw in six years.
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Along with 99.9% of the things he says, Trump’s cheerleading for single-use plastic is annoying. Not as offensive as his anti-DEI stance, but it’s just as pointless. I already have doubled my attention when it comes to buying from small-owned, black-owned and woman-owned businesses (the one thing that keeps me from not dropping out of the Amazon Affiliate program), but I can’t force every company to continue on with its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. I have, however, reevaluated my stock investments so they go to DEI-positive companies. (I don’t need anything in bulk enough to get a Costco membership, but I damn sure have Costco stock now. I even got family to invest in Costco with me.)
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But a quieter protest that anti-Trump supporters can have is investing in eco-friendly products while he denies global warming. Reusable straws help protect wildlife, don’t contribute to wasted plastic production and make you smile a little harder when you tell the cashier to keep the straws. (I immediately put my straw in the drink when it’s handed to me at a drive-thru window or pick-up counter.) Or, just keep a tumbler of water and skip that plastic top and plastic straws altogether if/when you can. The high fructose drink inside isn’t doing you any favors anyway.
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If you’re interested, here are a few reusable straws you can purchase today.
Before you go …
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
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