Our Beautiful island Barbados has been marked by the UN as a nation that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As a country that lies at sea level, and is reliant on tourism for its survival, this is an issue that is close to us all. Next year, Barbados will ban all single-use plastic bags in part of an effort to become a more environmentally friendly country. Decisions like this are becoming more and more common for countries as issues of climate change come to the forefront.
Before this change comes into effect, Savannah has taken its first step to lessen our carbon footprint. When it comes to being more environmentally conscious, many people overlook some of the biggest offenders. Plastic straws were first developed in the 1960s and have become a relied upon convenience in the Caribbean for keeping pesky ice cubes out of the way as we enjoy our refreshing drinks in the constant tropical heat. However plastic straws create pollution at every stage of their existence, from oil drilling, manufacturing, shipping, distribution and finally disposal.
The first phase of our plan has been implemented and as you enjoy your drinks at our restaurants you will notice that we no longer use plastic straws but have changed over to the more eco-friendly paper straws. Plastics straws are one of the top ten items found in the ocean,43% of marine animals have ingested plastic and straws specifically are responsible for killing over a million animals a year. Straws are also a very energy intensive item to produce. Up to 1,270,388 litres of oil is used in Taiwan annually just to make the plastic for the straws. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.
Our paper straws are just the first step. We are excited to keep you updated on our journey to become a more eco-friendly hotel!
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