September 25, 2018 | St. Petersburg, FL – The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce recently announced their endorsement of the “No Straws St. Pete” campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastic straws in the city. This voluntary campaign has gained noted success with business across the city and the Chamber looks forward to encouraging all of their members to participate in this campaign by filling out a short form at www.NoStrawsStPete.com for signage and consumer material.
“Our Public Policy Council, as well as our Board of Governors, unanimously supported this voluntary campaign. It is encouraging to see so many businesses adopt these policies to reduce single-use plastic consumption in our city without City Hall forcing them to do so”, explained Chamber President and CEO, Chris Steinocher. “This proves voluntary programs can be successful and that city ordinances banning plastics are not necessary. Our business community looks forward to working with City Hall to develop additional sustainable programs for our citizens to voluntarily participate in.”
The “No Straws St. Pete” campaign, supported by “I Love the ‘Burg” in partnership with Bank of the Ozarks, was announced by City Council Member Gina Driscoll on April 10th 2018. Since then, over 100 local establishments have agreed to use compostable or reusable straws, only provide a plastic straw when requested, or get rid of straws entirely.
“American’s are said to use nearly 500 million plastic straws a day while our partners are already seeing a reduction in use as high as 90%,” said Brian Bailey, founder and publisher of I Love the Burg. “With the Chamber’s endorsement, we are showing that a business community can voluntarily drive progress while creating a greater discussion about single use plastics, in general.”
“The Chamber thanks Councilwoman Driscoll, Bank OZK, and I Love the ‘Burg for launching this great campaign we are proud to join”, continued Steinocher. “It is important for us to be good stewards of our environment and we look forward to educating our members on how they can do their part.”
About the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce®
The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce®, originally founded in 1899, now serves over 1,300 member businesses and organizations. Continually identifying ways to create and enhance opportunities to do business in St. Petersburg, the Chamber works to improve the local economic climate and to build a thriving business environment. The Chamber represents perspectives of local business in St. Petersburg, providing and fostering leadership on important business and community issues. Information is available at stpete.com.