From relatively small beginnings on the Central Coast in 2018, Take 3’s CEO Clean Up is going global – and virtual – this year.
Take 3 CEO, Sarah Beard, said plastic pollution is a worldwide problem and finding a solution will need a global approach.
Business leaders from Studio Ark Media at West Gosford and LEP Digital at Erina have already signed up, along with CEOs from Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Maroochydore – and even Vanuatu and New York.
Beard is urging other Coast CEOs to take part.
“We started the CEO Clean Up as a Central Coast activity in 2018 and ran it originally as a regional event,” she said.
“It was so successful in terms of both participation and fundraising we decided to go bigger and in May this year we ran our first Sydney CEO clean up at Manly Cove.
“We had 56 participants and raised close to $50,000 so we made the move to go even bigger.”
“We are really passionate about partnerships with business in attacking the problem and it gives CEOs worldwide the opportunity to show leadership by participating in these types of events.
“We are all encouraging each other to take action and this is primarily an awareness raising event.
“We launched just last week and already have 11 participants.
“Experience shows that registrations will get really busy leading up to the main event in November.”
CEOs participating will be encouraged to pick up three pieces of rubbish wherever they go and post pictures to social media channels right through to December 15.
The actual Clean Up will be held on November 15-21.
“At any time during that week they can go out and clean up their local area, photographing each sack of litter they remove and recording it,” Beard said.
“At the end of that week we will have an online event where CEOs will dial in and talk about the impact the Clean Up has had.”
Beard said Take 3 hoped to return to physical events, on the Central Coast and in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, next year.
During its history, the CEO Clean UP has seen 150 CEOs and business leaders participating in events, preventing more than 50,000 pieces of rubbish (almost 600kg) entering the ocean.
Funds raised from the CEO Clean Up help Take 3 deliver education programs in schools, surf clubs and communities around Australia and the globe.
The organisation has the goal of educating one million school children and removing 10 million pieces of litter by 2025.
Once CEOs pay the fee to register, they will receive a clean up kit and will be able to track how much money they have raised on a leader board.
To sign up to participate or find out how to donate, go to ceocleanup.com.
Terry Collins