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CommentsSometimes a child's summer vacation can be used to make a difference in the world.
Mia Hansen, 10, a fifth-grader in San Francisco, collected more than 130,000 signatures through an online petition to urge Jamba Juice, a smoothie chain, to replace its Styrofoam cups with something better for the environment, according to a news release.
"We went to our neighborhood Jamba Juice for a treat after basketball practice," Sara Hansen, Mia's mother, said in a statement. "Mia was really bothered by all of the Styrofoam that was used. She wanted to make a difference, so she started a petition on change.org. I'm really proud of her."
Mia Hansen said in a statement she learned about Styrofoam last year in school and how it hurts animals and the planet.
After her petition went viral and garnered tens of thousands of signatures, Jamba Juice representatives met with Mia and her mother. The Emeryville, Calif.-based company said it is committed to phase out its use of polystyrene by the end of next year.
According to the U.S. EPA, Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups each year, which can last more than 500 years in a landfill.
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