1. moving awayfrom paper Weve all seen straws. You get 2 or 3 with every visit to lose oxygen gen- the drivethrough. Pick one up with a latte to stir in erated from trees your sugar, and sometimes you get a nice bendy and bright one inside a cereal box. The other day, I went to go see a movie-I bought a large Diet Coke for $4.99 and grabbed a giant straw to accompany it. My clumsy self ended up ended up dropping the less matter to eat straw, and my cousin immediately went and grabbed up carbon we emit a new one.What a waste. I hadnt even opened it. So I protested: Why do we have to throw it? if trees are gone It wasnt even used! but my cousin had a point: I was going to be putting plastic into my mouth, the oor of a public theater cant be expected to be hygenic - it chemical com- wasnt wise to pick up o the oor and eat. So I pounds for break- realized-as much of a waste as they may be, straws In 1978, the Department of Agriculture developed a green have become an integral part of our ideated society. ing down wood banana which consisted of a biodegradable banana peel. All We cannot be without straws. Not yet anyway. ber is dangerousbananas grown after 1981 have been genetically altered to But there is one thing we can do without:and gets in our be biodegradable using a lack of a compound of amino acid. THE STRAW SLEEVES.waterBanana peels contain total dietary ber; protein; polyunsatu-rated fatty acids, especially as linoleic and a-linoleic acids; and What the hell is the point of those? They serve abso-amino acids in the form of leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, lutely no purpose. Primarily unrecyled paper thrownthreonine, and valine. The most signi cant mineral is potas- around creating the opportunity to litter. Manufac-large carbonsium. The more mature the banana, the more the peel will tured too close to thermoplastic polypropelene and footprint to ship contain soluble sugar and the less it will have of starch. Unlike contaminated plastic resin to hold any real sanitarypaper in truckscitrus fruits-the banana peel is entirely biodgeradable. value. They seem to be a pure commercial system (the industry would su er a percentage if we suddenly Using a potassium/Vitamin B compound is the simplest way discontinuedmanufacturingstraw sleeves). to develop straw sleeves that can contribute to society as a Wouldnt it be incredible however, to nd a solution ingiving people thebiological nutrient systems. Through top secret experiments between discontinuation and wastage. And so I began option to recycledone in the 70s and 80s (and recently revealed) we now know thinking about nature. We have so many examples of is subjective. if that scientists have the capability to make an unedibal di erent biological nutrient systems in nature compound with the genetic makeup of a banana biodegrad- something is that protect their inner cores. The skin of a banana, aable. If we are able to mimic the makeup of this product into corn hyde, shells on pistachios, an ants extoskeletonbiodegradable, itdisposable sleeves, instead of paper sleeves going to waste- and so many more examples exist ofwould contribute we could just drop them into our gardens. The initial start-up protective outer crusts that are easily reintroducedeven if thrown oncost for this would be high, and may result in a lack of into nature as biological compost or upcycled simply.the streetuse of straws...but that might just be a good thing.