Who knew a seven-year-old’s love for the sea could change a huge corporation’s policy. Meet Benjamin Ball, whose passion for the ocean life did just that!
The adorable seven-year-old’s love for the sea is truly touching.
Last November, Benjamin visited the L.L Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine. He requested a paper straw from the store’s café for his lemonade but received a plastic one instead.
As an avid lover of sea turtles, Benjamin “thought he should do something about it”.
So, he wrote an email to Steve Smith, the president and CEO of L.L Bean.
“I’m writing to you because I’m a friend of the Sea Turtles and I want to protect them. Every year more than 100,000,000 marine animals get killed by plastic in the Ocean. The Sea Turtles are important to the ecosystem and me,” Benjamin’s email read.
He then politely requested Steve to make the switch to paper straws.
He asked, “I know that L.L Bean cares about the Earth too. If it is possible, could you use paper straws instead of plastic straws, please?”
He then went on to explain the impact plastic pollution has on the ocean.
“They can drown the turtles by getting stuck in their noses and they can also drown other mammals like dolphins and whales if they get in their blowholes,” he said.
In less than 24 hours, the CEO replied to Benjamin, promising him that L.L Bean will look into the issue and address his concerns.
Steve was touched by Benjamin’s message. “When I opened the email and I started reading it absolutely made me smile,” he said in the video published by his alma mater, Dickinson College.
He then praised Benjamin’s request saying, “It was a really articulate, well-reasoned, polite, yet passionate and emotional note about saving a species that no one is speaking for. So it hit me in a really emotional way.”
Because of Benjamin’s passion for the sea and ocean life, L.L Bean’s retail affiliates and its internal cafeterias made the decision to start using 100 per cent corn biodegradable straws!
In fact, L.L Bean is the latest addition to the growing anti-straw movement!
Steve even thanked Benjamin in person at Dickinson College. During the meet up, Steve and Benjamin also made a deal when Steve suggested to send Benjamin a shirt for him to make a sea turtle shirt.
Way to go, Benjamin!
Credit: Good News Network, Dickinson College
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