GH Commercial marked the launch of their premium Oceanic Collection by participating in a Take 3 for the Sea beach clean-up campaign.
Take 3 for the Sea is a global organisation promoting the simple activism of removing three pieces of rubbish from our beaches, waterways and green spaces to assist with cleaning up our oceans. Their education programs have inspired a global movement of people invested in a healthier planet.
The opportunity to walk the talk came in late January, when the Victorian GH Commercial Marketing, Sales and Admin team participated in a Take 3 for the Sea clean-up event at St Kilda beach. During an official welcome and safety briefing, the team learnt that over 8 million tonnes of new plastic enters our waterways every year, killing wildlife that mistakenly ingest it as a food source, and upsetting the vital balance of our ocean ecosystems.
Made predominately from finite fossil fuels, plastics do not break down, instead degrading into increasingly smaller pieces to create microplastics and nanoplastics. Both creation and breakdown of these plastics release harmful greenhouse gases, contributing to the changing climate and threatening the health of our planet.
It’s predicted that if we continue on our current path of manufacturing and discarding single use plastics, by 2050 there will be more plastic pollution in the ocean than fish. Motivated by this sobering statistic and observing COVID safe protocols, the intrepid GH Commercial team ventured forth – gloves on, tongs out, buckets at the ready.
Despite the council having raked the beach post public holiday, in one hour the crew managed to collect 2,452 assorted items of rubbish, of which 84% were derived from plastic and 46% were cigarette butts and filters made from cellulose acetate – a staggering 1,157 cigarettes!
The GH Commercial staff, who are passionate about issues around sustainability, valued the event’s focus on measures to reduce plastic pollution and waste we can integrate into our own lives and workplace. We felt genuinely privileged to be part of such an important community initiative, and were delighted to do our small part to help.
Going forward, GH Commercial will make an annual donation to Take 3 for the Sea from the proceeds of the Oceanic Collection, contributing to ongoing ocean clean-ups and promoting education programs for schools and local communities.
The striking and versatile Oceanic Collection draws its inspiration from the Tasman and Coral Seas, incorporating biophilic design principles that visually represent sea-life’s myriad elements, including the magical Great Barrier Reef. Browse the Oceanic Collection for a full range of creative flooring solutions.
