Letter to Get Better- Pecado Bueno, Stop with the Plastic Straws!

Dear Pecado Bueno,

First, I would like to thank you for having my favorite pork tacos in Seattle. Are you the most authentic Mexican food in the city? Definitely not, but your pork is no joke, and we love your deliciousness. Even better, you have managed to cultivate an atmosphere where around dinner time there are lots of real grownups having happy hour, but we don't feel unwelcome with our crazed toddler. That's a magical gift to parents who don't want to only eat at horrible chains or at 2:30.

So thank you, for your tacos and your awesomeness.

The problem is this. Anytime we order a pop or a drink at your restaurant, you already have an unwrapped straw in the glass. It makes sense with your bar/ restaurant midpoint style, but it is a total bummer. Plastic straws are a huge threat to our oceans and our sea life. The average American makes a larger volume of waste with straws than with cars, and straws are worse because they are so small they can be hard to clean up. They also get can be ingested by sea life like turtles (have you seen the videos? they are haunting). Despite the ways we know it is ravaging our oceans, American restaurants serve 500 million straws a day. That includes you. You can read a lot more about why this matters here.

Plastic will outnumber fish in the oceans by 2050 at this rate, and restaurants like yours can play a huge role in reversing this trend.

How to do it? Simple, stop serving straws no one is asking for. Studies show that most people won't ask for a straw if they aren't given one (because we all can handle a regular cup), so if you make straws by request only, you can cut down most of your straw use immediately. If you want to do even better by our oceans, switch to paper straws! They are more expensive, but if you are only handing them one when someone asks, the cost might still be less.

It's a big change, I know, and just one more thing for a business to worry about. Other restaurants are starting to take this route, and it is working. You can put up signs so your customers know what is up! Some restaurants are even using buttons. If you want more tips for how to make this switch for your margaritas and fanta (that's what we drink. Not together though, that would be gross), try The Last Plastic Straw.

I do love your tacos, but I know you could make your business that much better (especially in eco-friendly Seattle) by cutting out these harmful and totally unnecessary straws.

Thanks!

Sunshine Guerrilla

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Letter to Get Better- Panera Bread

from mayefairtown.com

Hello Panera Bread,

We have been seeing a lot of each other lately; my mom lives on an island with no Panera, so when she comes to town, your salad and bagels are big treats for her. She love you so much that it is cute. Our family mostly avoids chain restaurants, but you are doing some things worth getting excited about- you have removed a ton of chemicals and fake coloring from your food, and hopefully other chains will follow suit. You talk a lot about "clean ingredients" and "transparency" in your menu, which can be rare to find at other chains. Honestly, I think things like your "No No List" is amazing for making your food look better (and your competitors' food look bad).

 I also love that when you eat there, you use real silverware and plates. That dishwasher is an awesome environmental investment, and you prevent tons of the waste other "healthy" fast casual options create. You even have compost and recycling bins (at least at our store in Seattle). You use paper bags too! In other words, most chains could learn a lot from you in terms of environmental responsibility in your everyday practices. And that is awesome.

That being said, I think we both know you could do better. Your biggest problem? Plastics

If you really want to promote "clean" eating, you have to start with the water. Do you know that by 2050 there will be more plastics in the water than fish? Gross. Do you know that plastics and the chemicals in them are probably already having an effect on our water and our health? Gross, right?

The good news is that companies like yours have real power to blaze a trail and make a difference. A few examples:

Baked goods- Your individual baked goods mostly come in paper bags (though I don't see it being recyclable), but your boxes have those little plastic windows. Why? Someone knows what they bought, and boxes without that flimsy plastic piece actually look more classy and "wholesome." If you lose the plastic, you won't lose much at all, but you will keep that much out of landfills.

Plastic Cutlery- When you get take out food, no matter what, they put plastic silverware in little plastic bags in every order. Well, we take ours home, so we don't need any of that, and I bet we aren't alone. When I specifically ask they don't include it, I throw them off, because there isn't even a button for that option, so they walk over to the kitchen to tell them.  Why not employ the "unless requested" policy suggested by the Last Plastic Straw? When I order, your employee asks me about my card, my sides, my preferences- why not just throw in "would you like plastic silverware?" at the end?

Plastic Straws- We all know that plastic straws are epically bad for the environment- the average person will make more waste with plastic straws than their cars in a lifetime. Straws are small enough that they are very difficult for clean ups, and they are horrible for sea life. Why not switch your straws out for something biodegradable like recycled paper straws? You could also do more compostable cups, but even the straw switch could profoundly improve your environmental impact as a company on the day to day.

Thank you for what you are doing, and I hope you keep it up. It's good for other companies to see you can be responsible and profitable, and your company can only benefit from pushing these goals further by eliminating or greatly minimizing the plastics you use everyday.

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Throwback Thursday- Letter to Get Better- Dear Red Robin, Your Straws are Gross

Dear Red Robin Customer Service-teer,

This Tuesday, my husband and I celebrated our last pre-Lent meal at one of your restaurants, because there is no food that man loves more than a burger and fries. And yours are undeniably delicious. In fact, we have been to Red Robin plenty of times, but to be honest, it has slowed down a lot, and might even more. Here's why:

You force plastic straws on your customers.

It may seem like a little thing, but bear with me, because I am so right. At most restaurants, the server comes to the table with drinks and paper-covered straws. We politely turn them down, and save you a tiny bit of money. More importantly, it is well-documented that our oceans are filling up with plastic waste (there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050), and one time use plastics, like your straws, are a massive part of the problem.

In an average human's lifetime, we will make more waste with those little straws than cars we drive and eventually discard. The pile just one person makes can be up to the size of six cars. Of those little plastic straws! Straws are in the top ten most common pieces of sea debris. These straws cause major problems and injuries to the wildlife (have you seen the video of the turtle with a straw lodged in his head? It's a bummer).

Now, can you tell me, who needs these straws that badly? If you are trying to market towards adults, can you not trust them to use a cup? Even more importantly, WHOSE DIRTY HANDS PUT THAT STRAW IN MY DRINK? It does speak well to your regard for sanitation. I worked as a server. I know how much money and other grodiness is handled, and there are no papers protecting those straws. Do you mix my food with your fingers too? It seems so strange that such a great restaurant would have such a glaring oversight, and it's hard to understand what you think can be gained by this "service."

You are a hugely popular restaurant, so think of the amazing power you have here! How many fewer straws would go into our ocean each year if you not only stopped forcing straws into every glass, but you actually only gave straws when specifically requested? It would save you money too! I can see on your website you have a section about diminishing your waste, and some of the strides you make are awesome, but why brag about the plastic you save on cups when you know you waste absurd amounts of plastic on straws? It's such an easy step, and so consistent with some of your other missions, I think it would fit in perfectly!

Thank you, and I know you can do this,

P.S. The new pay yourself computer system is a ridiculous way to cut out labor costs. I am not going to do the work for you so you can hire fewer people and make servers cover larger sections so we get consistently lesser service. Boo hiss. If you want to save your servers' time, I think cutting out the straw step is the way to go.

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Letter to Get Better- Hey J Crew, Help the Ladies Out

J Crew,

I was psyched to find out from my husband this week that you have a Made in the USA Shop section for men- highlighting American-made goods is so cool, and because you do that, he found the perfect pair of New Balance sneakers to replace his old ones (and they look great- I bet we will buy their shoes from you for a long time). He even bought a hat too, because he saw it was ethically-made.

It's amazing how many great choices you have- everything from bow ties, to knits, to shoes and belts, to swimsuits that are made in the USA. Though, of course, we wish you made more of your products in an equally ethical and eco-conscious way, it was still awesome to see that you not only carry so many great products, but you are willing to highlight them. Go you!

So here is my beef. Made in America has this sort of rugged, masculine trend going on, and we ladies who also want to buy our stuff that way just can't. You are part of the problem, because you only offer this space to men. If I am a woman who only wants to give my money to domestic products, I absolutely can't at your store or website without checking every little tag. Why is this? It feels like a very weird kind of sexism to me, on top of just being annoying, and I hate it.

 It's not clear to me if you just don't sell one Made in America products for women, or if it is so little that you don't bother giving it a separate space like you do for the men.

 Either way, it is time to make a change.

Why not feature what you do have, even if it is small? Or explore made in America products for women- there are plenty out there. Why not have the New Balance make some equally great tennis shoes for women at their factory in Massachusets- I would buy them, and I bet someone else would too!

Made in America is absolutely gaining steam, and if I as a consumer am going to spend the money you charge for your products, it has to be made in America. I am done shelling out for clothing that wastefully uses fossil fuels traveling long distances to the US. I am done funding the mistreatment of workers (especially in the garment sector) in other countries. In short, if I don't see "Made in America" I will go buy it from someone else or in consignment. Please consider adding Made in America shops for women and for children!

Sincerely, Sunshine Guerrilla

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Letter to Get Better- Pact

Rocking some adorable Pact socks

Dearest Pact,

In the past two years, your socks have earned my undying loyalty.

Nobody does baby socks as well as you do (so stretchy, so cute), and I love that your company prioritizes being fair trade, respectful of their workers, and environmentally-conscientious. My son has worn your socks more than anyone, and we have started branching out into your underwear selections (now I am eyeing leggings- so cute).  I recommend your socks to everyone on this blog, because you have something genuinely great going on.

Now, this isn't just a lovefest for your fair trade cotton and no sweatshop policy (though I LOVE those things too). Here's the problem. Somebody changed your packaging, and it sucks. You used to have just cardboard (I think recycled) packaging, but a couple of times now, I have received boxes that have plastic in them as well.

What gives?

The plastic packaging might make sense for stores (I know you are at Whole Foods), but I think if you are mailing you definitely don't need the high security of a flimsy piece of plastic.

This little piece of plastic is pretty commonplace, but as you probably know, it can cause big problems. First, if you live somewhere with recycling, they generally can't/ won't recycle boxes with a plastic insert, and not everyone knows to separate them. Even worse, in places where the box just gets thrown in a landfill, it guarantees that it will never biodegrade. Ever piece of that plastic, useless and unattractive, will sit in the landfill when my children are buying socks for their children's children.

 It takes your packaging from potentially waste-free to very wasteful. If I am trying to do the best for my kids with my shopping, I am not sure your socks are it anymore. What a bummer!

Now, I am debating whether there is a way to get your amazing socks for our next baby without the lame packaging. Please consider going back to a more environmentally responsible model of packaging so I can keep giving you money and talking up your sockmazingness!

Sunshine Guerrilla

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