On Friday the 20th of November, 50 CEOs participated in Take 3 For The Sea’s Central Coast CEO Clean-up. I was fortunate to be included in this number, not that it’s by any means exclusive. I was pleasantly surprised to truly enjoy my part in cleaning up Terilbah Reserve in the Entrance. This impression was shared between the other CEOs I spoke with. It’s a small gesture and admittedly a minor investment of time for a CEO when you compare it against the seemingly insurmountable challenge of cleaning up the world. The vision of the CEO Clean-up is to encourage industry leaders to inspire and help educate the local community about plastic pollution all the while raising funds to help carry this message globally.
I’m not one who seeks the spotlight, but I recognise that I have a responsibility with even the small influence I may have to speak up. The combined influence of the participants is much, much bigger and we have plenty to say. This problem is larger than I realised and has been ignored for too long.
Wonderfully, the second annual event was considered a success with the following highlights:
- Cleaning up 267 kilograms of rubbish were removed in just 60 minutes
- Of this, 2,821 cigarette butts were found
- $18,672 was raised
- James Brown from Pearls of Australia topped the leader board at $3,406
I even made it to position 12 on the leader board at one stage thanks to my team and anyone else who sponsored me, but was quickly overtaken by the overwhelming support towards some legendary local peers (promise I’m not bitter!). A huge positive that has come from this event is just the personal awareness of how much rubbish is around us every day. Next time you sit at a park, take a quick look and you will notice 100s of tiny pieces of rubbish. A sad reality, but not one without hope thanks to Take 3!
Advantage is a digital business passionate about sustainability, and we vow to take personal responsibility in making an effort each time we see rubbish and have an opportunity to dispose of it correctly – we encourage anyone to do the same. The perspective of “it’s not my rubbish” is just not good enough, let us support one another and focus on what we can control.
View the full Event Report here.
