$25K Donation to Take 3 For The Sea

Sea-rious Money 💚

Hello Arnhem Sea-lovers, we come bearing good tidings!

How magical and wondrous is the ocean  🌏  Yup, we think so too.

Which is why, as part of our alliance with 1% For The Planet, Arnhem has donated $25,000 Take 3 for the Sea.

Take 3 for the Sea are an organisation that recognises the ocean as the great connecter.

It provides us with the oxygen we breathe and the climate that sustains us. But it’s under threat.

Plastic pollution is killing wildlife, devastating oceans and threatening the health of our planet. 

In addition to these more well known consequences of plastic pollution, new studies are revealing even more hidden and sinister ones. 

Lamb et. al. surveyed 124,000 reef-building corals from 159 reefs in the Asia-Pacific region.

They found that the likelihood of disease increases from 4% to 89% when corals are in contact with plastic, as a result of light deprivation, toxin release and suffocation (1).

That’s a 20 fold increase in risk of disease- yikes!

Scientists have found microplastics in 114 aquatic species, and more than half of those end up on our dinner plates. What does that mean for our health?

Plastic comes in many forms and contains a wide range of additives:

- pigments, ultraviolet stabilizers, water repellents, flame retardants, stiffeners such as bisphenol A (BPA), and phthalates.

Some of these chemicals are considered endocrine disruptors:

—chemicals that interfere with normal hormone function, even contributing to weight gain, negative effects on the developing brain, and breast and prostate cancer.

It’s understood that the dose makes the poison.

But many of these chemicals—BPA and its close relatives, for example—appear to impair lab animals at levels some governments consider safe for humans (2).

The extent and consequences of plastic pollution are overwhelming, understandably leading many of us to feel powerless.

That’s where the angels at Take 3 for the Sea come in. They offer simple actions to address complex problems.

The instruction is this: Simply, Take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or anywhere, and you have made a difference.

Through education that inspires participation, Take 3 are building a global movement of people who are connected to the planet.

How do they do it/ where will our (your) $25K be directed? We’re glad you asked!

Through delivering education programs in schools around Australia that encourage students to:

~ use their creativity and innovation to come up with ideas to prevent litter in their school and community;

~ reduce waste sent to landfill from their school via a tailored and specific action plan, and;

~ Tracking and sharing their impact to inspire the broader community.

Through delivering early childhood education. Take 3 injects enthusiasm and excitement into learning about our oceans and incorporates the accredited Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

Through arts and crafts, storytelling, music and dance, Take 3 introduce the problem and encourage children to create imaginative solutions. 

Through the Surf life saving clubs program which educates Surf Life Saving Clubs around Australia about plastic pollution with a focus on coastal and marine environments.

Working closely with ‘Nippers’, Take 3 leads surf clubs to develop original solutions through learning, hands-on participation and clean up activities.

Through community education. Take 3 hosts film nights, talks, clean ups and special events to educate communities about plastic pollution and waste in a creative and engaging way.

The community programs are a true celebrations of people-power, leaving participants feeling inspired, informed and motivated to take action in their own lives.

The ocean called and wants to say THANK YOU to Take 3 For The Sea.

The 10-year old organization has already made incredible positive impacts on the ocean. As a direct result of its actions:

🙌 10 million pieces of rubbish are removed yearly

🙌 300K people, 400 schools and 40 clubs have been educated by take 3 programs

🙌 8 million plastic bags have been avoided

🙌 13 million kilograms of waste have been avoided annually

Those are some pretty spectacular and heartening figures, and we’re truly and deeply stoked to be able to contribute to enabling Take 3 to continue their planet-saving work.

And we’re especially grateful to you, our Arnhem beauties who make all this possible!

Here's Some Further Reading: