Brisbane Water Secondary College will hear THE Take 3 Co-founder’s insights in a special event on Monday18 June.

“I’ve recently returned from a research expedition to the North Pacific Gyre - or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – and was alarmed at the state of the world’s oceans,” Tim said.

“As a result I’ve visited a number of schools in the region to share my experiences from the expedition and highlight the impact of marine debris on our oceans.

“School visits have been a chance to motivate young people to get involved in doing something practical at a local level to address a serious global problem.”

It is estimated at least 80 per cent of rubbish threatening marine life in our oceans comes from land-based littering entering our stormwater drains and ending up in our waterways.

“More than one million sea birds and hundreds of thousands of sea dwelling animals die each year from ingestion of plastic and entanglement in debris,” Tim said.

“We began the Take 3 initiative in response to these issues and it’s a really simple message that we’re trying to get out there. We’re asking people to take three pieces of rubbish with them when they leave the beach, waterway or any place they’ve been. It’s something very small for each of us to do but together it will make a difference,” said Silverwood.

CMA and Department of Education and Communities Learning Engagement Officer Amanda Gregory said the CMA supported projects that raised awareness of the marine debris issue and demonstrated simple tasks we can all undertake to protect our local marine life from ingesting plastic.

“These students live on the coast and the majority spend time at the beach, it is important for them to be aware of the action we can all take to better manage our litter,” Amanda said.

“Tim’s visits provide students with the opportunity to learn about the Take 3 initiative first hand – and then to develop a pledge to take action against harmful litter and explore their own litter issues at school.”

The CMA supported this visit with funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative and Catchment Action NSW.