Star-studded docu-series shines a spotlight on global issues
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P&G has partnered with National Geographic to launch a six-part docuseries, co-produced by Global Citizen and RadicalMedia, that shines a spotlight on extreme poverty, inequality and sustainability issues to mobilise global citizens to drive meaningful and lasting change.
The star-studded docu-series includes appearances from famous activists such as Hugh Jackman, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Gayle King, Uzo Aduba and Rachel Brosnahan, tackling issues connected to the root causes of extreme poverty, such as, ending cash bail, breaking down barriers to girls’ education, funding education for displaced children, ending plastic pollution and solving the water crisis.
To launch the series in Australia, activists, influencers, corporates and media united to speak on a panel session prior to a private screening of episode 5: ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’. The episode showcases the push to get governments, corporations and individuals to solve the ocean plastic pollution crisis and calls on global citizens to urge their mayors to commit their cities to zero-waste futures.
The panel of speakers comprised TV host, celebrity chef and ocean lover Hayden Quinn, National Geographic photographer Michaela Skovranova, P&G Communications Leader Candice Glynn, and Global Citizen Country Director (Australia) Sarah Meredith.
Candice Glynn, Communications Leader, P&G Australia said: “The ACTIVATE partnership is the result of a shared commitment National Geographic, P&G and Global Citizen have made to leverage our collective influence, audience and scale to both raise awareness and inspire a global community to take action.”
“P&G has a rich history of leveraging our brands and our people as a force for good to make the world a better place by helping to solve critical issues related to girls’ education, clean drinking water, disaster relief, environmental sustainability and inequality,” she said.
As a leading FMCG company in Australia, Glynn said P&G is fully committed to leading internally and externally on environmental sustainability by enabling and inspiring positive impact through our brands, our supply chain, our society, and our employees.
“Last year, we announced our new ‘Ambition 2030’ goals. This recognised that we had already met many of our 2020 environmental goals ahead of schedule and wanted to continue that strong momentun,” she added. “P&G’s Ambition2030 includes a commitment to avoid waste, make all our packaging recyclable or reusable, and ensure no P&G packaging finds its way to the ocean.”
Hayden Quinn, TV Host, Celebrity Chef and Ocean Lover said: “Having a background in marine biology and also being immersed in the food world has meant I’ve become very conscious not only of waste going into the ocean, but how produce is sourced from our oceans. Initiatives like this are so important as they highlight that the onus is on all of us to protect our environment.”
“I believe we all have a role to play in protecting the environment. For me, acting sustainably means being conscious of the everyday actions and decisions you make today which will impact your children as well as future generations,” she said. “It’s about realising the little things do count, whether it’s telling someone to pick up their rubbish or educating a colleague on the importance of reusable coffee cups. It’s about getting out there and advocating for the environment in a way that fuels action. If every single person did one thing today, whether taking three pieces of rubbish from the beach or switching to reusables, the impact would be huge.”
Sarah Meredith, Country Director (Australia) Global Citizen said: “We are so proud to be launching Activate: The Global Citizen Movement to be sharing the work that we do to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.”
At Global Citizen, Meredith says they are firm believers that addressing environmental challenges is everyone’s business and protecting oceans is no exception. Billions of people and animals around the world rely on healthy oceans and environments to provide food, jobs and sanitation.
“Our oceans and the people who live alongside them are in jeopardy from plastic pollution, and global climate change is threatening ecosystems and the planet with extinction. One of the biggest challenges we’re seeing here in Australia is that people lack awareness around how much of their waste is actually being recycled. Another huge problem we have here is people don’t clean their containers, meaning they can’t be recycled,” she said.
Through ACTIVATE, Meredith says they are working hard to address these gaps in awareness, to kick-start a movement of global citizens, from individuals, corporates, councils and governments to start taking action to protect oceans before it’s too late.
Michaela Skovranova, National Geographic Photographer said: “As a diver and National Geographic photographer, I have had the privilege of seeing some of the world’s most beautiful locations. However what is not always captured in pictures is the sheer amount of waste which is polluting our environment. The ocean is a crucial ecosystem for us to engage with and connect with so it is horrendous to see tonnes of rubbish per kilometre littering the ocean floor causing irreparable damage to marine ecosystems – pollution which is directly relatable to our society.”
Up until recently, Skovranova said Australians have been quite ambivalent when it comes to acting in a way that is environmentally sustainable, however they recently begun to see some positive change.
“On a recent dive at Clifton Gardens in Sydney, I was amazed to see a reduction in plastic pollution, which was the direct result of divers who had collected plastics to clean up the area. For me, this is the perfect example of how individual actions can have a positive impact on the environment. I love seeing everyday citizens getting involved and taking matters into their own hands,” she aid.
The documentary series will officially premiere on National Geographic on Monday September 16 at 8.30pm AEST/NZST and will be available to stream or watch live on Foxtel and Fetch.
Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.
