Sea & Sarong was born from the love of our beautiful coastlines and the ocean we get to dip our toes in daily. But with that love comes responsibility, as a brand we owe it to that big beautiful blue sea to speak of and raise awareness of one of it's biggest enemies, plastic. Take 3 For The Sea is a global movement to stop plastic pollution killing wildlife and damaging the planet. Through education comes participation. We were lucky enough to have the team from Take 3 tell us much more about what they do. 

Imagery via @take3forthesea

Let’s assume for a moment that some people may not have heard of Take 3, can you give us a run down on what the organisation is and what it stands for?

Take 3 believes in simple actions to address complex problems.

How can we stop plastic pollution from killing wildlife and suffocating our planet?

In 2009, two friends set about answering this question. Roberta Dixon-Valk and Amanda Marechal developed an idea where a simple action could produce profound consequences. Joining forces with environmentalist Tim Silverwood, the trio established Take 3 as an organisation and launched it publicly in 2010. Simply, Take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or...anywhere, and you have made a difference. The Take 3 for the Sea movement was born.

Since 2009, Take 3 has delivered education programs to 350,000 students from 400 schools, 40 surf clubs and countless communities around Australia. Take 3’s consistent efforts in sparking behavioural change has seen its global movement of over 300,000 followers remove over 10 million pieces of rubbish from the environment every year.

Imagery via @take3forthesea

Can you tell us a little about the founders and how the organisation is run as it’s a volunteer based program?

Take 3 is founded by Tim Silverwood (CEO), Amanda Marechal (Head of Education) and Roberta Dixon-Valk (Head of Programs). Take 3 is run by a small team, with a volunteer base of over 100 passionate and inspiring volunteers.

Can anyone volunteer?

Any one over the age of 18 can register officially as a Take 3 Volunteer. They’re invited to join the Take 3 Team at beach clean-ups, school education programs, film screenings, festivals and more! We love joining forces with like-minded and passionate people to help spread the awareness of the plastic pollution crisis and inspire people to make simple changes.

Imagery via @take3forthesea

A huge part of your ethos is that education encourages participation, how does Take 3 educate?                                                   

Take 3 delivers school incursions to primary and secondary schools with programs that are aligned with Australia's National Curriculum. Take 3 educators raise awareness of plastic pollution and explore simple actions to prevent it. We’ve now educated over 350,000 students from 400 schools.                                                                 

Our approach is to provide students with a compelling reason to act before encouraging the development of original ideas to solve the global plastic pollution problem in their local community.                                                                    

Students are led to develop solutions that will:                                                    

• Implement source reduction initiatives to prevent litter in their school and community
• Reduce waste sent to landfill from their school through a tailored and specific action plan
• Track and share their impact to educate and inspire the broader community

Take 3’s Surf Life Saving Program educates Surf Life Saving Clubs (SLSCs) 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.

Take 3’s Corporate Program works closely with commercial enterprises in waste reduction strategies and beach clean-up activities. We also run an early childhood education program and regular community events such as film screenings, presentations and clean-up activities.

Imagery via @take3forthesea

Obviously the reduction of plastic bags is a huge step forward for the anti-plastic movement, but what are other super simple ways that we can help in our everyday lives, ways that we may not have thought of even?

We recommend to look closely at each purchase you make and question the quantity of resources and energy it took to create this product, along with the waste output.. For instance, clothes made from synthetic fibres such as polyester, spandex and lycra can pollute over 490,000 pieces of microfibres into our waterways and ocean. This is the most polluted plastic item in Australian waters which is causing horrific damage to marine wildlife. Simply by choosing organic fibres such as hemp, bamboo, rayon and cotton, you can stop the devastating impacts of microplastic pollution!

Take 3 advocates for a circular economy that is regenerative and renewable by design. Recycling has long been championed as the solution to consumption but we’ve realised that the system needs a redesign.

The circular economy is entirely regenerative as it recovers used materials and makes them into something new again. Through the unification of recycling, renewable technology and sustainable production, the circular economy can end the need to produce items from finite resources. Take 3 promotes the circular economy as a sustainable solution for the future of our planet.

We must reduce our synthetic fibres and single-use plastics while promoting the circular economy!

The ocean is an amazing playground and we are so lucky to have it, it gives us so much so how can we give back?

Every time you visit the ocean, or anywhere in nature, you can give back by living the Take 3 message through education and participation, which is our global mission. As you know, if everyone simply takes 3 pieces of rubbish when they leave the beach... or anywhere, they've made a difference! We call this action a 'micro-cleanup'. By conducting micro-cleanups you are actively living the Take 3 message!

We urge you to share your micro-cleanups with your online social communities and become a part of our international Take 3 community. Share images and videos of your cleanups on Instagram and Facebook and tag us #Take3forthesea and @Take3forthesea! This spreads the Take 3 message and inspires others to do the same.