Tim Silverwood is Australia’s very own Captain Planet. A passionate environmentalist, Tim is on a mission to protect our oceans from plastic pollution.
His love affair with the ocean began as a teenager growing up on the central coast of New South Wales. After years of being a keen surfer and great admirer of the natural world around him he says:
“The ocean has become my best friend, my playground, my provider and my temple. I'm sick of people trashing my temple."
It’s shocking to realise that 4000 pieces of plastic rubbish are floating in every square kilometre of Australia’s oceans.
In 2014 the CSIRO estimated that over 150 million pieces of rubbish littered Australia’s coastline - that’s six pieces of rubbish for every Australian.
This has devastating impacts on our marine life who mistake plastic debris for food and ingest it or become entangled in it.
Plastic became popular post World War II when the ‘disposable lifestyle’ was introduced and advertised as being an easy and convenient solution for housewives.
The irony of plastic is that it’s designed to last forever, and yet it is often made into single use items such as straws, cling film, chip packets and water bottles. It just doesn’t add up.
The best way to end plastic pollution is simple, ditch the disposable and invest in reusable. Tim is a big advocate for reusable bags, drink bottles, and cups to name a few.
As well as campaigning for a nationwide ban of plastic bags and lobbying the NSW Government to introduce a 10¢ deposit scheme, he is probably best known for his non-profit organisation Take 3. This organisation has a very simple but effective message - take 3 pieces of rubbish with you whenever you visit the beach, river or coastline.
It’s so simple everyone can do it.
June 8th is World Ocean’s Day and we challenge our global citizens to take this simple action and do their bit to protect our oceans. Regardless of where you live, go for a walk outside today and pick up at least three pieces of litter.
And next time you visit the beach, remember do your bit for the sea and take 3.