The Team Behind The Campaign

Our Mission

Founded in December 2015 by Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner, the Lonely Whale Foundation strives to inspire empathy towards marine species and develop life-long advocates for ocean health. Through the powerful narrative of the 52Hz Whale, Lonely Whale Foundation initiatives focus on delivering educational curriculum that inspires our youngest learners, and our innovative campaigns build community and encourage dialogue on and advocacy for ocean health issues and direct positive impact.

Why plastic straws?

We already know that plastic bags and soda can rings are bad for the environment and end up in the ocean. Few people realize that straws are among the top 10 items found during beach cleanups and can do so much harm to seabirds, turtles, and other marine creatures.

As an item of convenience for the vast majority of us, we believe refusing the single-use plastic straw is the easiest and simplest way for everyone to take action today to address plastic pollution. If we all take the pledge to refuse single-use plastic straws, we will see a significant decrease in the number of straws found during coastal cleanups.

We recognize that single-use plastics are a necessity for some. Read more about our work with the disability community.

The devastation of plastic pollution is not who we are as a global community. Now is the time for us to reflect on our own beauty, our power to affect our environment through individual action. We can address this global crisis with collective action — we're starting with the plastic straw. — Adrian Grenier, Lonely Whale Foundation Co-Founder

What we've achieved so far

• Engagement by national and regional influencers at SXSW 2017 through installations at Mashable House and Native posting by UpWorthy of the SXSW sucker punch highlights reel — viewership approaching 700K and reach of 1.9 million.
• 52 million plastic straws removed in 2017 via a social media proxy pledge.
• Support from and collaboration with 20+ thought leaders, creatives, media platforms, and plastic-straw-free practitioners.
• Strawless In Seattle (September 2017): 2.3 million straws permanently removed from the city in 30 days, leading to Seattle's 2018 plastic-straw ordinance.
• Mini Grants For A Strawless Ocean — funded campaigns by individuals and nonprofits in the U.S. to measurably reduce single-use plastic-straw consumption.

Help us do more

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