The Last Straw Campaign In Australia
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
The Last Straw is a campaign aimed at reducing plastic straws usage in Australia. This campaign identifies the massive usage of plastic straws as the main problem contributing to a massive quantity of landfills that have a significant negative effect on the ocean ecosystem. The objective of the of this campaign is to minimize mass plastic use contributing a huge amount to landfill causing environmental pollution and to address this issue from two dimensions, inspiring consumers to utilize fewer plastics straws as well as encouraging businesses to hand out a few straws via staff training and also by informing them. The campaign has done a lot of progress and provided sufficient data and statistics that prove the credibility of the campaign; the campaign managed to save 13.2 million plastic straws from use in 2018, it has attracted 636 official member avenues and also partnered with other concerned parties such as Grill’d restaurant whereby they managed to save 1.6 million straws annually, it has a well-defined problem and also a realistic and achievable objectives.
THE LAST STRAW CAMPAIGN
Background to the issue
There has been significant environmental pollution especially on the ocean ecosystem in Australia. This environmental pollution has been rapidly increasing and has reached an alarming level. Mass usage of plastic has been a big problem which has been contributing to a huge amount of landfill which consequentially has a negative effect on the ocean ecosystem (“The Last Straw,” n.d.). Specifically, plastic straws have been unnecessary convenience to human sedentary lifestyle but have a negative impact on the environment. Single usage of plastic especially straws have led to a huge accumulating of straw as plastic waste which has a critical negative impact on the environment. The ocean ecosystem particularly in Australia has been greatly affected by these straws drawing attention for strategies to be implemented to mitigate this environmental pollution.
Humans are the main cause of this pollution due to their negligence to protect the environment through proper disposal of straws and practicing sustainable use of straws through reusing straws and avoiding single use of straws or even by eliminating the use of straws at all. Essentially, billions of people purchase drinks accompanied by straw on a daily basis across the world. This leads to high accumulation of straws in the environment since these straws are disposed of to the environment inappropriately (“The Last Straw,” n.d.). People tend to undermine straws because they are small in size; therefore they throw it off aimlessly. Therefore, something needs to be done to mitigate environmental pollution.
Problems
The main issue this campaign targets to address is the mass usage of plastic contributing large amounts to landfill that cause environmental pollution especially on the ocean ecosystem. The campaign aims at minimizing the single use of plastic straws which generates plastic waste (“The Last Straw,” n.d.). Plastic straws have been great pollutants to the environment and plastic straw wastes are generated rapidly because of high consumption of drinks by billions of people on a daily basis.
Campaign objectives
The objective of the campaign is to minimize mass plastic use contributing a huge amount to landfill causing environmental pollution. The objective of this study is to address this issue from two dimensions, inspiring consumers to utilize fewer plastics straws as well as encouraging businesses to hand out a few straws via staff training and also by informing them. This campaign also aims at transforming the culture around unnecessary usage of plastic straws. Specifically, it aims at shifting consumer focus to organic (“The Last Straw,” n.d.).
Campaign Credibility
The Last Straw campaign seems to be authentic. To begin with, the campaign has a well-stated problem of concern that needs to be addressed. Moreover, it has stipulated and defined its objectives effectively aimed at tackling the problem at hand. Its objectives are realistic and attainable. It can also be drawn from the statistic of the amount of plastics straws saved from use in 2018 which is 13.2 million (“The Last Straw,” n.d.). This is a large number of plastic straws to be saved from being used which proves that the campaign has been credible. Moreover, the campaign has been able to attract 636 official member avenues and also managed to partner with other concerned parties such as Grill’d restaurant whereby they managed to save 1.6 million straws annually from being used in their 135 restaurants (“The Last Straw,” n.d.). Taking all these into consideration, it indicates that this campaign is credible because of the facts and statistics showing the efforts it has made towards solving the problem of the massive usage of plastic straws.
