Take 3

"Is your life too plastic?" Environmentalist and co-founder of 'Take 3', Tim Silverwood will host screenings of the new, award-winning environmental documentary Bag It at locations across Sydney, Newcastle, Byron Bay and the Central Coast throughout May and June 2011.

Bag It follows "everyman" Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.

The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.

The film explores these issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.

The screenings of the new documentary aim to raise awareness of marine debris and will act as fundraisers for Tim, who in July this year will sail from Hawaii to Vancouver to research plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Tim will join Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California-based organisation founded by Charles Moore, the man credited with discovering the Garbage Patch in 1997.

Reportedly twice the size of France and growing exponentially, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been compared to a monstrous floating plastic soup and is threatening to become one of the great ecological disasters of our time. It's here where ocean currents from Asia, North America and Pacific nations converge, bringing with them tonnes of debris and creating a swirling vortex of plastic rubbish that is rumoured to double in size every ten years.

Tim is required to fundraise US$10,000 for his position on the research voyage. He hopes to raise more for additional costs including flights, equipment and the production of an awareness documentary. Using an online fundraising campaign portal Tim has already raised more than AU$4000 in just 30 days. He is also seeking corporate sponsorship.

'Take 3' is a non-profit organisation formed in 2009 that asks visitors to beaches and waterways to simply take three pieces of plastic rubbish with them when they leave, a small gesture that can greatly reduce the amount of marine debris in the oceans.

"We developed 'Take 3' to give people an easy opportunity to give back to the environment by reducing plastic pollution in our oceans. It's so easy to 'Take 3'; it doesn't take time, money or any real effort. This documentary puts humans' dependence on plastic in the spotlight and empowers people to stand up and say, "You know what, I don't want to live a life plastic", it's a great film!" Tim said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact Tim directly.

Contact: Tim Silverwood on 0420 668 114 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.timsilverwood.com

Sydney Première

Screening Date:                         Wednesday 25^th May

Screening Time:                        7pm

Screening Location:                   Chauvel Cinema, Paddington (Sydney)Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd Paddington NSW Ph: 02 9361 5398

www.chauvelcinema.net.au

Newcastle

Screening Date:                         Thursday 26^th May

Screening Time:                        7pm

Screening Location:                   Newcastle Community Arts Centre, 246 Parry St, Newcastle NSW Ph: (02) 4961 1696

www.ncac.org.au

Central Coast

Screening Date:                         Sunday 5^th June - Special Event - World Environment Day

Screening Time:                        5.30pm

Screening Location:                   Avoca Beach Cinema, Avoca 69 Avoca Drv, Avoca Beach NSW Ph: (02) 4382 1677

www.avocabeachpicturetheatre.com.au

Lake Macquarie

Screening Date:                         Tuesday 7^th June

Screening Time:                        7pm

Screening Location:                   Lake Macquarie Performing Arts Centre 39 Lake Street, Warners Bay NSW Ph: 02 4921 0412

Newcastle

Screening Date:                         Thursday 9^th June

Screening Time:                        7pm

Screening Location:                   Civic Theatre Playhouse, Newcastle 375 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW Ph: (02) 4929 1977

www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au

Byron Bay

Screening Date:                         Thursday 16^th June

Screening Time:                        7pm

Screening Location:                   Byron Community Centre 69 Jonson St, Byron Bay, NSW 2481 Ph: (02) 6685 6807

www.byroncentre.com.au

This event is open to the public.