As we usher in a new year, Barnes Trial Group is continuing its dedication to the Tampa Bay community by creating a new local campaign titled Skip the Sip, a program that works to reduce the usage of single-use plastic straws and raise awareness of plastic waste.

Skip the Sip logo

 According to firm founder Steve Barnes, it all starts with changing your perspective.

 “As a society, we are polluting the earth at an alarming rate,” says Barnes. “Much of it is borne out of habits that can be easily broken. Skipping a sip with a straw will help raise awareness of how easy it is to change one’s habits—with the results being a meaningful impact on plastic waste and pollution.”

 BTG is working quickly to get local eateries onboard, and so far, seems to have quite a bit of support. In the coming months, restaurants will begin to change their practices of handing out single-use straws and will even have the option to display tabletop information cards.

 To help bring this to fruition, BTG has partnered with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful to help provide the fact to our local community.

 “We want to raise awareness of plastic waste and its environmental impact, and could think of no one better to team up with than a local group like Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful,” says Barnes. “We can change basic, easily correctable habits and make our beaches, waterways and oceans cleaner.”