Do you suck? Your drinks through a plastic straw, that is.

If you do, you're not alone: the environmental non-profit Surfrider Foundation estimates that 500 million plastic drinking straws are used and thrown out each day in the United States alone. Over a year, that adds up to 175 billion plastic straws, many of which end up in the oceans and waterways.

Lonely Whale Foundation, which encourages consumers to #stopsucking to save endangered marine life, asserts that 30 percent of turtles examined were found with plastic in their stomachs and that ingesting plastic has a 50 percent mortality rate among marine life.

In Hawai'i, malama ka 'aina o ke kai, is a popular adage that encourages visitors and Hawai'i residents alike to take care of their land and ocean. Here, the ocean is so respected it's considered an element unto itself. The honu, or green sea turtle, is similarly revered in Hawaiian culture as a symbol of good luck, endurance and longevity

However, one major impact of the state's visitor industry growth is that the oceans and the land are strained by the additional traffic, which produces more waste finding its way into the oceans.

At least one Maui resort is fighting back.

Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa has become the first of its kind in Hawai'i to entirely end the use of plastic straws on its property. Children's drinks and blended tropical drinks are now served with eco-friendly paper straws, while other drinks are only served with paper straws on request at the hotel's dining establishments, luau and other events.

"Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock), fronting the resort, is one of the top destinations on Maui to see tropical marine life in their natural habitat, including the beloved honu. Implementing usage of paper straws over single-use plastics is one of the many initiatives we have at a property level centered on corporate social responsibility, protecting the 'aina, or land, and honoring our resort's special location in Ka'anapali," said Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa's General Manager Tetsuji Yamazaki.

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Waste processing has long been a hot topic in the Hawaiian Islands, where sustainable practices have become increasingly popular, not only to preserve the islands' extreme endemism but to maintain the natural beauty that makes Hawai'i a sought-after leisure destination. In June, the state government enacted legislation to combat climate change, two years after a similar pledge to convert the state entirely to renewable energy by 2045.

The Sheraton Maui also does their part to reduce waste. Recyclables from guest rooms are sorted and turned in, bath amenities are donated to social welfare organizations, and old pillows and blankets go to the Maui Humane Society and Salvation Army.

In total, the resort recycles more than 10 tons of cardboard and paper, plus 15 tons of landscape waste each month. Other hotels in Hawai'i have implemented similar environmental programs, many aimed at reducing carbon footprint by focusing on locally grown (often on-property) produce and by covering roofs and parking areas with solar panels.

Eliminating straws or using sustainable paper ones are a small sacrifice that requires little trouble to implement and has an immediate impact. To learn more about the movement to #stopsucking, visit strawlessocean.org, or call your favorite Hawai'i resort and suggest that they follow the Sheraton Maui's lead and malama ka 'aina o ke kai.

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