World Environment Day 2023: Finding real world solutions to the plastic crisis
The very first World Environment Day was held fifty years ago, on 5 June 1973. Since then, it has grown into an annual global juggernaut, raising awareness of critical environmental problems and inspiring people to take action to find solutions. Over 150 countries participate each year and major corporations, non-governmental organisations, communities, governments and celebrities adopt the World Environment Day brand to champion environmental causes. An astonishing 65 million people participated online in 2022 and that number is expected to be even greater in 2023.
Each year World Environment Day has a different theme. To date, these have included wildlife crime, air pollution, the ozone layer, food waste, desertification, water, green cities and climate change, among many, many others. This year’s theme is #beatplasticpollution, with a focus on finding real-world solutions to the plastic crisis. In the words of the United Nations Environment Program, “Our planet is choking on plastic. It is time to change how we produce, consume and dispose of the plastic we use.”
Here at Take 3, we’re delighted that plastic pollution is in the global spotlight. We’re using World Environment Day as an opportunity to encourage and motivate our supporters to double-down on their efforts to reduce their use of single-use plastics. Our Week of Action starts on 5 June and we will be reminding everyone to take 3 every time they leave the beach, the waterway… or anywhere. But the plastic pollution crisis can’t be fixed by picking up rubbish alone – we need to ‘turn off the plastic tap”, or reduce the amount of plastic that is produced in the first place. One way to do this is to change our consumer habits so we buy fewer plastic items.
During our Week of Action we are asking everyone to make one simple lifestyle change to reduce the amount of single-use plastics they use, and help #beatplasticpollution. Here are some suggested changes but there are many others:
Change from…. to ….
| Disposable coffee cup | Keep cup |
| Plastic water bottle | Reusable water bottle |
| Plastic shopping bags | Reusable cloth bags |
| Teabags | Loose leaf tea |
| Fruit and veg packaged in plastic | Loose fruit and veg that that you put in your own cloth bag |
| Plastic toothbrush | Bamboo toothbrush |
| Plastic shampoo bottle | Shampoo bar |
What else can I do?
Join our Week of Action:
- Sign up to our newsletter and receive simple steps and solutions to make easy lifestyle changes that will help to #beatplasticpollution
- Donate to Take 3 and help support our work inspiring people to reduce their plastic footprint
- Are you a manager or business owner? Why not book a Take 3 Corporate activity to inspire your teams to join you in protecting the planet.
- Share our message with 3 of your friends @take3forthesea #take3forthesea.
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