AN UPDATE FROM TAKE 3 CEO, SARAH BEARD
Dear Take 3 friends and supporters,
I wanted to start by wishing you all the best during these challenging times. I appreciate the level of uncertainty, worry and concern that the current situation creates and the thoughts of the Take 3 family are with you.
Since I last wrote to you in March, and prior to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks and subsequent lockdowns, Take 3 has achieved some remarkable feats.
I think the most notable of all has to be our inaugural Youth Summit at Taronga Zoo. Held on June 7 and 8 – to coincide with World Oceans Day 150 young leaders from 25 schools around New South Wales took part in the two-day event to discuss the problems of plastic pollution and potential solutions.
Joined by selected celebrity guests and leaders in the field of conservation, the young leaders benefitted from presentations, and panel discussions group workshops to prepare Community Action Plans to engage their school communities in plastic pollution education.
We may never truly know the impact an event like this will have but it is my firm belief we inspired real change through education on those two days.
Take 3 Youth Summit 2021
A very different, but equally important, event also proved a big success in May as 55 CEOS and business leaders descended on Manly Cove Beach for our first CEO Clean Up event in Sydney. The Take 3 CEO Clean Up is a series of beach clean-up events designed for business leaders who want to make a difference in the community and show leadership on sustainability.
In just one hour in Manly, those in attendance collected 27,603 individual pieces of waste, weighing 87 kilograms, while they also raised a staggering $45,000 for Take 3 in the build up to the day. The event’s impact goes beyond the beach, with business leaders networking and sharing their own initiatives and taking the Take 3 message back to their offices and staff.
The event’s impact goes beyond the beach, with business leaders networking and sharing their own initiatives and taking the Take 3 message back to their offices and staff.
We have our third Central Coast CEO cleanup coming up at the end of October, then the Gold Coast, Melbourne and back to Sydney. Find out more here.
Take 3 CEO Clean-Up
I would also urge any of you who have not seen our #WeAreTake3 film series to head over to our Instagram page to take a look. It is so important to continuously highlight and reinforce why we do what we do and these videos do that perfectly.
It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the purpose of these videos was to also drive donations, and did you heed our call? You most certainly did so from the bottom of my heart thank you to everyone who dug deep to donate.
I can reassure you that these donations will be put to good use. We have some important goals for the next few years, including educating one million children in Australia by 2025.
To do this we have some exciting new projects on the horizon, including the ‘Saltwater to Freshwater, Taking Take 3 upstream’ program. Much of the education work in the ocean conservation sector focuses on coastal communities. We need to urgently broaden this reach to rural and remote regions in Australia, to build cultural and geographical diversity in tackling the crisis facing our oceans.
Another new initiative is our ‘Climate, clean-up and classroom’ program, which has been inspired by Take 3’s desire to introduce a broader and necessary conversation to our work; the devastating impact plastic production is having on the world’s climate.
This year alone, plastic production will equate to the total output of 189 coal-fired power stations, while according to a new report from the Center for International Environmental Law, by 2050 it will be responsible for up to 13% of our planet’s total carbon budget.
‘Climate, clean-up and classrooms’, adds a vitally important topic to our education programs as by tackling the plastic issue we are also tackling climate change.
Following on from our successful Youth Leadership Program, Take 3 will also once again be partnering with SC Johnson to deliver a leadership program PROJECT BLUE for primary school students aged 9-12.
To find out more about any of these programs don’t hesitate to get in touch via info@take3.org
Please stay safe during these difficult times and remember to grab your reusable gloves and Take 3 for the Sea during your daily exercise!
Sarah Beard – Take 3 CEO
To support Take 3 please donate here or show your support by getting in touch via Instagram or Facebook.
