In my quest to get rid of as many as possible disposable products from my home, I came across Glass Dharma. Since 2007, Glass Dharma has had one goal: to eliminate the need for disposable plastic straws by creating reusable, durable glass straws.

They decided to tackle the problem of pollution, especially pollution created by plastic, by designing a product that is safe and durable. I’m sure many of you think ‘Well, it’s just straws that they are trying to replace’ but you should know that annually, plastic straw manufacturers produce enough straws to fill 46 full sized school buses! As you can see, this little item can turn into a big problem.

Glass straws are green and safe in so many ways that it’s worth mentioning them: first of all, no toxins leach into your drink. Second of all, each time you use a glass straw, that is one less plastic straw that ends up in the landfill. Not only that but 1 glass straw effectively replaces hundreds, even thousands of plastic straws because it will last you a lifetime.

A lifetime, you say? Glass can break, right? Well, regular glass can easily break but these straws aren’t made of regular glass. They are made of borosilicate glass (aka Pyrex) which is the strongest glass commercially available. The glass also goes through a special treatment that makes it even stronger. Glass Dharma is so certain their product is durable that they back all their straws with a Lifetime Guarantee Against Breakage. If one breaks for whatever reason, they’ll replace it for free.

For the purpose of this review, I received a set of 4 different straws: a shorty sipper straw, a straight ice tea straw, a bent ice tea straw, a bent smoothie straw. I also received 2 cleaning brushes (they are NOT included with your straws).

The shorty sipper is a 6.25 inch straw. The outside diameter is 7mm and the inside diameter is 2.5mm. This particular one has blue decorative dots. The dots are not only pretty but they are also functional: they can color code drinks and also prevent the straws from rolling off. The dots come in 6 different colors: red, green, blue, amber, clear, and black. I find that this straw is perfect for my daughter. It fits well in her small cups and it’s easy for her to sip because of the narrow diameter.

The straight ice tea straw measures 9 inches. The outside diameter is 9.5mm and the inside diameter is 5.5mm. This particular straw has amber decorative dots. The bent ice tea straw has the same measurements as the straight one but has a slight bent around the top third of the straw. Both are these straws are perfect for tumblers. It’s great for ice tea, lemonade, juice, etc.

The bent smoothie straw measures 9 inches. The outside diameter is 12mm and the inside diameter is 7.6mm. It has a slight bent around the top third of the straw. I like that it’s wider than the others so it works well even for thicker smoothies.

With the straws, you can also get a couple accessories. I strongly recommend getting cleaning brushes because they are the perfect tool to clean the inside of your straws. They are made of stainless steel with medical grade nylon bristle. Glass Dharma also offers convenient hemp soft sleeves so you can carry your straws in your purse, lunch bag, or backpack. They come in 3 different sizes and many different colors.

Overall, I am really happy to have discovered Glass Dharma. Glass straws are such a simple and easy change to implement that can have a big impact!  Head to Glass Dharma to purchase your own reusable glass straws. Don’t forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for all the latest news and promotion.

Also, stay tuned for the Glass Dharma’s special celebration of Earth Day. They will be giving away 1000 glass straws. Glass Dharma invites us to think green and take the PlanetCare pledge. When you take a pledge, Glass Dharma will send you a PlanetCare package which includes one free glass straw and coupons from 4 great eco-friendly companies: EcoLunchBox, EcoBags, Pura Stainless, bambu. Free shipping of the PlanetCare package is offered for US and Canadian addresses.

Glass Dharma is generously offering one of our lucky readers a $25 gift card.The giveaway is open worldwide and will end March 24th. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck!

Rachel