Besides being Houston bars, what do OKRA Charity Saloon, Big Star Bar, Grand Prize Bar, Sassafras and Catbirds have in common?

They're all working to eliminate plastic straws.

The five bars are collaborating with an initiative organized by the Houston Zoo to ditch plastic straws and find more sustainable alternatives for customers who want to use a straw. The zoo, which this year removed single-use plastic straws from all its concession stands, is concerned about the harm plastic straws can do to sea turtles and other marine life.

Yes, the plastic-straw issue has officially arrived in Houston, at a time when large corporations including Starbucks and McDonald's are planning to phase them out. The city of Seattle has banned plastic straws and utensils outright, too.

READ MORE: Houston restaurants getting sucked into plastic straw debate

While a spokesperson for Mayor Sylvester Turner's office said there are no current municipal initiatives regarding plastic straws for the city of Houston, plenty of local bars and restaurants inside and outside the Loop have curtailed or eliminated their plastic straw usage or are working on finding more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

Where do your favorite bars and restaurants fall on the plastic straw controversy?

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.