#Ulog 008 Plastic Pollution Awareness : Bamboo Straws for Tipsy Beans, Philippines or to the World?

Few days ago, I have written a post about this topic here on my flight to Manila from Negros Oriental in Central Visayas last month. I guess that meeting the CREATIVES of Bayawan City, in my almost 2 weeks stay at Tatay Dagsa most specifically, has left an impression on me. Their love for our ENVIRONMENT is not just words, they are living it in accordance to what they believe they should do, WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE DOING, in protecting MOTHER EARTH.

Listening to Tatay Dagsa passionately talk of wanting to protect Bayawan City from corporations who are now starting to buy huge areas of lands within and around their city, one can only wish to have a lot of money and buy every non-residential lands in BAYAWAN and leave them as they are, UNTOUCHED BY CIVILIZATION. In the Dagsa household, simple living is prominent, where the only things touched by modernization are a few light bulbs, electric fans, coffee maker and the electric tools they use in making bamboo crafts and innovations.

One of their crafts is making BAMBOO STRAWS.

Needing of a wifi, the nearest coffee shop is Tipsy Beans. Fortunately, my mug of iced tea came with a plastic straw. Speaking to the manager, he mistakenly took me for somebody he contacted in Facebook regarding bamboo products for their cafe, this includes bamboo straws.

Was the universe smiling on planet Earth?

"There is no coincidence", how many times have I heard of this adage?

So anyway, our discussion went on like discussing the probability of their cafe having to make orders or consignments with Tatay Dagsa's. As @flabbergast-art is staying at the Dagsa's right now, the manager of the place will be in contact with Tipsy Beans regarding proposals and the like. This includes transporting those bamboo straws to Manila.

I still have to see establishments using bamboo straws, here in the Philippines or abroad. Metal straw I have seen @teodora using it so that is a good start.

What can happen if the world starts using Bamboo Straws?

Will it produce an impact to Plastic Pollution? Is it so hard to do the transition? How amenable are the establishments, consumers in their usage? Any idea of the livelihood it can give to some Filipinos in the Philippines? It is rich of bamboo trees.

At Dagsa's, school kids polish the newly cut thin bamboo trees prior to collection and get paid for. That's extra bucks for them for their needs. At the moment, as they are only free on weekends, the demand is greater than the supply.

TIPSY BEANS aren't as large as Starbuck's, Cafe Nero's, Costa's or other known cafes in the world or in the Philippines...but what they are aiming to do is a huge start. I say this unknowing of any establishment who have done so. Wooden stirrers I have seen in a few, it is not so with BAMBOO STIRRERS.

I forgot to check if their wall is concrete for this to be effective. Perhaps I can when I'll go back to show to their manager the bamboo straws I got from Bayawan. I won't test it myself though.

Any volunteer?

This can be a possible contribution to the beginning of the world's transition to natural and indigenous healing. PEACE, LOVE, FREE.

My previous post:
plastic-pollution-awareness-eco-or-plastic

All images are mine, taken with my Samsung Galaxy S7.
#tipsybeans #bamboostraws #plasticpollution #ecology