Thank you GlassDharma
for providing me with products to review, free of charge.
These are my own honest opinions.

Smooties are my favorite thing to drink! Fresh and creamy, ice cold, full of whatever fruits and veggies I like best. You can’t go wrong with a smoothie! Except when it comes to HOW you drink your smoothie… Yes, I’m talking about that plastic straw that you’ll use just once and throw in the trash as soon as you’ve sipped that last bit of your delicious drink.

Did you know there are actually other, safer and greener options? Instead of buying those disposable plastic straws, get a few glass straws from GlassDharma and you’ll be good to go! It’s a no brainer really: they are safe for you, safe for the earth, and over the years, they’ll pay for themselves.

Let me explain this further since it’s always good to know the facts. GlassDharma’s straws are made of super resistant borosilicate glass and under normal conditions, are virtually unbreakable. It’s actually the same material Pyrex products are made of. In case it does break though, GlassDharma has an amazing lifetime guarantee and will replace your dammaged straw for free so there’s really nothing to worry about.

In terms of the benefits for the Earth, you probably think that replacing a small disposable item like a straw for a reusable one is a good thing but won’t really have a big impact. Let me just say this: in March 2008, McDonald’s restaurants alone served an average of 52 million meals per day worldwide. It doesn’t say how many were served with a drink but we can assume that most of them did and with that drink came… a disposable plastic straw! To give you another perspective, it’s been estimated that each year, enough plastic straws are produced to fill more than 46,000 full sized school buses. I can’t even begin to imagine and process these numbers!

Obivously, a straw is just a straw and glass straws won’t solve all our environmental problems. But it’s clear to me that any step, however small, in the right direction can and will have a lasting impact, especially when it’s a concerted effort. GlassDharma actually takes a great initiative to encourage people to take action and become greener every year by offering a special promotion for Earth Day. This year’s campaign is called “Plastic is Drastic”. It is set up as a trivia challenge that will bring awaress to the plastic pollution problem and will also encourage people to be part of the solution.

As a reward for completing their trivia activity, the first 1000 participants will actually get a FREE glass straw. Yep, a straw for you, just for answering a few questions and learning about pollution. I think it’s a great way to mobilize people, get them thinking, and hopefully, that glass straw will be a first step toward making better environmental choices year round.

Since I discovered GlassDharma, I’ve built a decent collection of glass straws. I like that they offer different sizes (7 to 14mm) and lengths (6.25” to 10”). Some have a slight bent, some have decorative colored dots. My favorite is the Ice Tea 9” bent straw. The size is just perfect, not too big, not too small and the bent makes it easier to reach. I also got a few Shorties for my daughter because she also loves smoothies! I always keep 3 extra ones in my bag so that we don’t even need plastic straws when we are out and about. It’s such an easy change to implement, I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner!

Buy It: You can find out more about the GlassDharma and their glass straws and accessories by visiting their website. Don’t forget to get a brush to easily clean your straws.

Connect: Don’t forget to like GlassDharma on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Pinterest for all the latest news and promotions. Speaking of promotions, go take that ”Plastic Is Drastic” Trivia Challenge now to get your own FREE straw (see link above).

Win It:  GlassDharma is generously offering one of our lucky readers a $25 gift certificate to buy their favorite glass straws.  The giveaway is open to US and Canada and will end March 26th. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck!

Rachel