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Azraq Screens STRAWS Documentary In A First For The United Arab Emirates |
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Local marine conservation organisation, Azraq (Arabic for "Blue") is screening the multi-award winning documentary STRAWS on Saturday 9 June at The Junction, Alserkal Avenue at 8pm to align with World Environment Day and World Oceans Day. The thought-provoking, entertaining and educational documentary, sparked by research that plastic straws are now among the top-five beach litter items collected in coastal clean-ups, will be screened for the very first time in the United Arab Emirates. Marine conservationist and Managing Director of Azraq, Natalie Banks has been working on screening STRAWS in the United Arab Emirates for the past few months, and saw an opportunity to align the values of Azraq with the screening. "Azraq has been working on getting food outlets to rethink the need for plastic straws since February this year in conjunction with Freedom Pizza, through the #stopsucking initiative and with STRAWS outlining how billions of non-recyclable plastic straws litter streets and wash into oceans, I saw an opportunity to raise awareness of the impacts of straws on the marine environment and marine animals," Ms Banks said. "STRAWS is an eye-opening documentary, which has a wonderful animated opening scene and narration by Oscar-winner Tim Robbins, drawing the viewer in to charting the history of straws, as well as the modern dilemma of single-use plastics produced to satisfy a behaviour that has become a habit rather than a necessity." The marine biology researchers in Costa Rica who found a straw lodged inside the nose of an Olive Ridley sea turtle, recount their tales over the footage of their viral video in STRAWS which also looks at alternate, sustainable solutions such as paper, bamboo or metal straws, which have cut down costs for some local businesses and encourages the simple act of refusing a straw or having on hand an alternative when at a restaurant or cafe. "This highlights how anyone can take action to help save the world's oceans." |
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