Botany Bay and Catchment Alliance

Take 3′ is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2009 that aims to raise awareness of marine debris by encouraging each visitor to the beach, waterway or…anywhere to simply take 3 pieces of rubbish with them when they leave. We also encourage everyone to reduce their unnecessary plastic consumption – and make our lives a little less plastic!
‘Take 3′ aims to expand their message throughout Australia and the world and the group has already received widespread acclaim for their simple yet powerful message. In March 2011 ‘Take 3′ was awarded the Inaugural ‘Taronga Conservation Society Green Grant’ and a $50, 000 purse to help develop the organisation with the help of the team at Taronga Zoo.
They aim to build on existing partnerships that will see the message target the wider community of beach users including surfers, fishermen, recreational boaters, surf life savers and everyone living on the coastal fringe.
Please contact us if you would like more information or have ideas on how Take 3 could be incorporated in your organisation.
Remember… the ocean is downhill from everywhere.

Find Take 3 on…
www.TAKE3.org.au

Links:
For More Information About Marine Debris
5 Gyres
Algalita Marine Research Foundation
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
NOAA – Marine Debris
Plastic Oceans
Project Kaisei
The Plastiki
Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society
Organisations we Like
Surfrider Foundation – Australia
Taronga Conservation Society Australia
Australian Seabird Rescue
Two Hands Project
Keep Australia Beautiful
Clean Up Australia
B-E-A-C-H Hawaii
South West Marine Debris Clean Up
Eco Barge Services
Australian Marine Conservation Society
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Sea Turtle Foundation
Sea-thos Foundation

On the 28th of April, the Cooks River in Sydney, suffering from a plague of plastic bottle pollution, was host to the return of Captain Cook who met with federal environment minister, Tony Burke. The Captain was greeted by locals who collect thousands of bottles and cans every month in an effort to clean up the river. Their message was we need a container deposits scheme (CDS). Tony Burke agreed! See the ABC TV News report. This is the first time a federal environment minister has said he supports a CDS. He confirmed that the coming state and federal meeting of environment ministers was crucial and that other states needed to join with South Australia and the Northern Territory so we could have a national CDS. However we are not resting as we have to make sure that all states do agree. No doubt the beverage industry led by Coca Cola will be lobbying furiously to stop an agreement. This will mean a big effort by us in five states. In the next month we will be writing to ask you to contact your local MP and environment minister in a concerted push just before the meeting. In the meantime we really need your donation.* To mount five state campaigns in a short time is a big ask! Donate here We have never before, been this close to a positive decision on a CDS.
Jeff Angel
National Convenor of the Boomerang Alliance
30 April 2012
www.boomerangalliance.org.au

Charles Gream posted the following re this outstanding event
Here is only part of video of yesterday’s environmental event at Steel Park. The size of the video is so large that I cannot publish all of it and had to split into Parts. The day was a great one because of the hard work organizers must have put into it.

There are also pics at:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3803005842095.173164.1485819169&type=3&l=bd28d8c45a

A mortified Captain Cook Returns to OZ after 242 years
This is the first of several videos covering events at Steel Park Marrickville today. Emphasis is on the need for a container deposit scheme.

Captain Cook will be boating up Cooks River to meet federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, residents and representatives of 17 national and state environment groups to seek a solution to the beverage container litter scourge.*at Steel Park, Illawarra Road, Marrickville South (map attached)
noon to 1pm on Saturday 28 April, 2012.

Also, 11am – 2pm:
cash-for-containers refund stall (10c refunds on plastic and aluminium beverage containers)
giant bottle float, fishing for bottles, model bottle boat competition, petitions, information, write a message in a bottle to the Minister for the Environment

“It has come to my attention that the health of this fine stream has greatly deteriorated since my last visit. In particular, I am distressed to learn that it suffers from the pollution of its waters by an abundance of un-natural and inappropriate natural waste materials, due to careless behaviours by the citizens and enterprises of your land, and from the failure of your government to enact laws and maintain infrastructure to the extent proper and necessary to protect this valuable resource.

Out of a sense of regret and responsibility, I have therefore decided to conduct an inspection of said ‘Cooks River’ on the 28th April 2012, (exactly 242 years to the day since my previous visit).

* 8 billion bottles and cans landfilled or littered every year. State and federal environment ministers are due by mid–year to meet to decide on a national container deposit scheme.

Further information: Jeff Angel, Total Environment Centre 9211 5022 or 0418 273773; Judy Pincus, Cooks River Valley Association, 0414 910 816

The Cooks River event you’ve been waiting for – to support a national container deposit system that will help reduce litter in the River (and everywhere) – is happening!

Please start collecting plastic and aluminium beverage bottles and cans, and bring them along to the Cooks River Demonstration Recycling Depot at Steel Park, Illawarra Rd, Marrickville South, on 28 April 11am-2pm. Collect your 10-cent cash refunds to experience how CDS will work. Let’s create a Cooks Mountain of bottles!

And while you’re there, enjoy all the other fun, informative and lobbying activities we’ve got planned for you, both in Steel Park and on the Illawarra Road Bridge, including:
World’s Biggest Coke Float!
Prizes for the best model plastic bottle boats!
Put a message in a bottle for the environment ministers!
Bev the Bottle!
Information and petitions!
Free food and drink – please bring your own reusable cup and plate!
Australia’s Environment Ministers will be making a decision in June about nationwide packaging regulation. Now’s the time to make our voices heard. Containers collected at our event and elsewhere, and the best of the your plastic bottle boats, will be taken to Canberra for a rally at Parliament House on 23 May. Boats will be sailed on Lake Burley Griffin – or the lawn of Parliament House!

If you can volunteer any time to help on the day, or over the next few weeks to help prepare for and promote this important event, please contact Judy at info@crva.org.au or on 0414 910 816, ASAP.

Please spread the word quickly: Forward this email and the attached flyer to friends, family, colleagues, e-groups, e-lists. Encourage your school/company/club/church/temple/mosque/synagogue to get involved. Print out the flyer and post in appropriate places. If you can create a Facebook event for this, please contact Judy.

For more info about CDS go to www.boomerangalliance.org.au. Watch this Boomerang Alliance YouTube campaign video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqNWfbOMqd0&feature=youtu.be. For ideas for model plastic bottle boats, look on the internet.

This event is a joint initiative of the CRVA and the Total Environment Centre and is supported by both Marrickville Council and the City of Canterbury Council. Local businesses are sponsoring the cash refunds – sponsors will be acknowledged at the event, on the CRVA website and in future promotional materials. To donate funds for this event, please contactinfo@crva.org.au.

And finally, if you can’t make it on the day, and even if you can, send a letter to the Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke – he may even be your Federal Member! – via www.boomerangalliance.org.au.

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to seeing you all there on the 28th April.

Judy Pincus
President, Cooks River Valley Association

Saturday 28 April 2012, 9.30am to 4.30pm

St George & Sutherland Community College , 127-129 Sutherland Road, Jannali
Course code 22706WJ

This course will be presented by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and include:
1.A presentation called “The Dharawal throughout the seasons – Dreaming Tracks, Song Lines and Survival” a look at how the Dharawal speaking clans moved into and out of the Southern Sydney Region throughout the year. This will include speculation on their occupation of this area over the last 8,000 years and where, why and how they moved around.
Presenter:Les Bursill, Dharawal Aboriginal historian, archaeologist antropologist

2.Presention on “Goannas, Whales and Wallabies”.

Presenter: Bruce Howell, a researcher of prehistoric sites in local area

3. A briefing on Constitutional change proposals – what would Constitutional change achieve, what are the options and what the Expert Panel has proposed.
Presenter: Larissa Behrendt is a Professor of Law and an award winning author.

4. Presentation on 20 years since the Mabo decision – what did the case achieve, how the national native title tribunal was set up and what does Mabo mean today.
Presenter: Michael Lavarch AO was the Attorney General in the Keating government.

Morning tea, a light lunch and afternoon tea are included in the fee of $33
(The course is organised by the Sutherland Shire Citizens for Native Title and Reconciliation (SSCNTaR) and
Sponsored by Sutherland Shire Council.)

Trish McDonald-Harrison
Sutherland Shire Citizens for
Native Title and Reconciliation
Mobile + 0417 273 176
Home + 62 9524 9685
93 Wonga Road, Yowie Bay NSW 2228 Australia
Living on the lands of the Goonamuttagal clan of
the Dharawal speaking peoples.