Seven-year-old Benjamin\nBall absolutely loves sea turtles and\nknows quite a bit about the menace of marine plastic pollution too! That is why\nwhen he visited the L.L.Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine, he was\ndisappointed to find out that they didn\u2019t have any paper straw for his\nlemonade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But unlike most kids his\nage, Benjamin decided to do something about it. The little guy wrote a letter\nto the president and CEO of L.L.Bean, Steve Smith, requesting him to use paper\nstraws in his outlets instead of plastic ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m writing\nto you because I\u2019m a friend of the Sea Turtles and I want to protect them,\u201d\nnoted Benjamin. \u201cMarine animals get killed by plastic in the Ocean. The Sea\nTurtles are important to the ecosystem and me. I know that L.L. Bean\ncares about the Earth too. If it is possible, could you use paper straws\ninstead of plastic straws, please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within 24 hours, Benjamin\nreceived a response from Smith, who assured Benjamin he\u2019d look into the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now the good news is that since receiving Benjamin\u2019s letter, L.L. Bean has announced that its\nretail affiliates and employee cafeterias are converting to 100 percent corn\nbiodegradable straws!<\/p>\n\n\n\n