NEWS.COM
Elyse Knowles has been absent from social media recently, admitting the break has had a huge benefit on her mental health.
Knowles said she had taken time out to focus on a huge passion of hers, saying while she was off social media, she remembered “why she is here”.
The former The Block star shared a series of images and videos with her nearly one million Instagram followers, which showed what she had been up to during her online hiatus, and highlighted one very big problem.
Knowles’ post, showing the amount of waste polluting our beaches, has been liked nearly 20,000 times in less than a day.
“I’ve taken some time off social media and I’ve noticed a huge difference not only in mental state but remembering why I am here,” she said alongside the images.
“Cleaning up Australia is such a big passion of mine and I urge you to get on the bandwagon of doing the same.”
Knowles’ post has come at no surprise with as the 26-year-old spending most her time outdoors, whether it be enjoying nature, doing photo shoots or showing off her waterskiing skills.
She directed her followers to her blog where she detailed the impact waste is having on our environment.
“You’ll be surprised & shocked by the following stats but I hope this information makes a big & memorable impact!” she said before sharing a list of facts including how it takes 450 years for babies nappies to fully decompose and one to five years for cigarette butts to decompose.
In fact, 5.6 trillion filtered cigarettes are smoked annually and it is estimated as many as two-thirds of those butts end up in the ocean.
“Does this help anyone see the massive issue we’re facing in a way that’s easier to get your head around? I always find that stats & facts like these always have a much greater impact, because I can relate them to my own life, hence why I wanted to share this blog with you,” she said on her blog.
Elyse Knowles in India with WaterAid 2018
“We all need to consider the simple idea of — substitutions. We CAN find a substitution for most of the harmful things we naturally do each day (for example, innocently drinking from a can), we just need to think before acting.”She used coconut water as an example, saying if instead of buying one single, small carton each day — why not buy one bigger carton one to last the whole week.
“This might sound like a small change, but if we all did this, it’d collectively amount to a BIG change.”
The Melbourne-based TV personality had then moved on to explain why everyone who drinks coffee needs to invest in a Keep Cup.
She said while they can cost anywhere between $20 and $50, it means giving up seven takeaway cups a week (if you’re having one a day).
“If just 10% of the population used a Keep Cup for their daily coffee … that’s 876 000 000 takeaway cups no longer required … which is a HUGE benefit for our environment!!!!!”
Knowles, who is also the author of From Me to You and recently visited two slums in Delhi, India with Water Aid, said the point of the blog was to remind people that little changes, do amount to enormous changes — and her followers couldn’t agree more.
“Thank you for speaking out about this issue. You truly are making a positive impact on social media and more people need to hear your voice … so say it louder for the people at the back,” one of her Instagram followers said.
“So true, every little but helps and we have to keep our beaches beautiful and safe for our animals,” another added.
“Good on you. Imagine the difference we could all make if we all made a bit more of an effort.”
