Plastic straws are public enemy number one

By FRANK WATSON

Contributor

Seattle is leading the effort to save our planet from ourselves. They have joined Portland and a host of California cities in the battle against plastic drinking straws.

A school boy noticed discarded straws outside fast food outlets and wrote an essay spurring environmentalists into action. The fight has spread from the classroom to city councils and state legislatures across the land.

The first success I noticed was in Portland’s conversion to biodegradable straws. Some mornings I need my coffee to become human, and I frequently drink a latte as I drive.

On that m...