Tomorrow is April 22, and my question of the day is “how can runners celebrate Earth Day”? I mean, so many of us use the great outdoors, so let’s give back and show the love to Mother Earth for all the gifts she gives us.
Go For A Plog
Plogging is an activity that derives from Sweden, combining picking up litter with jogging. It’s brilliant, really. I can’t tell you how many times I go out to run or walk, and stumble upon garbage in the local parks or along the sidewalks. People who litter are terrible, but runners can help by heading out with a small bag and gloves to pick up what they see along the way. Sometimes, if it’s too much, I’ll mark the location and come back later with my car or bike to haul out the trash.
Get A New ROAD iD + Plant A Tree At The Same Time
From now through April 22, ROAD iD commits to planting a tree for every ID sold. Amazing! And even more amazing are these limited edition Earth Day IDs! The Earth Day ID comes in the Elite style, in both 13mm and 19mm, and they are absolutely gorgeous. Give one as a gift to yourself or your favorite tree hugger, and know that your purchase will have a positive impact on our planet. Use code RUNSWITHPUGS when you buy (affiliate code) for an additional 25% off this or any ROAD id.
Run an Earth-Day-Themed Event
Obviously, runners love to run, so let them run! Join in any Earth-Day-themed events your area offers. Virtual runs are an option, too, like this Earth Day Virtual Race from the AfterShokz Shokz Squad on Strava. All you have to do is run on your own or with friends, and record your time. You might even win a new pier of Aeropex or Air headphones!
Try To Be More Sustainable
I am terribly guilty of extra waste with my post-run treats. Local coffee shops are not filling reusable cups because of COVID, and home coffee just doesn’t do it for me. Real-time races also seem to have moved towards handing out individual bottles, rather than paper cups, again for health reasons. I notice that we used a lot more single-use items during this pandemic, and while it made a lot of sense for sanitary purposes, it was wasteful and not very good for the planet. We have definitely circled away from paper plates and plastic bags, but we have a long way to go.
Fuel Locally
We runners need to fuel, so we might as well do it locally, showing support to the small farms that matter so much. Local farmers are one of the heartbeats of our nation, and by sourcing our produce and foods from them as much as possible, we can help keep these small local businesses reaping the benefits of our earth.
Runners, how are you celebrating Earth Day?
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Every time we visited the US, I was shocked at the amount of trash we produced compared to Europe.
In Switzerland, every trash bag has a tax that makes it quite expensive. So the more trash you produce, the more expensive it gets.
That’s why the Swiss recycle everything. We separate glass (by colour), metal, batteries, clothes, paper, plastic, furniture, and green waste. For the rest, we use a 4-gallon trash bag every week.
And when you shop, the plastic bags cost money, so everyone brings their own reusable bags.
Catrina recently posted…The Cableway Charity Challenge
Its so true that the pandemic has led to some bad practices. Although in the beginning I was so worried about not being able to get certain items like paper towels that I got better about using less. I make all my coffee at home, but I use Keurig cups which I know are terrible.
I definitely will go for a run (if the weather cooperates.)
What makes me insane is that people just throw their masks on the ground…grrrrr
It’s in the 30s now and raining…UGH!!
Yes, it’s hard to be perfect, no matter how good our intentions are! I don’t eat meat, I bring my own grocery bags, don’t use plastic water bottles (usually- sometimes I will for a run but I always find a place to recycle them.) But… I know I still generate a lot of waste. Plastic takeout containers, packages constantly arriving from amazon… etc. It’s good to be reminded to keep working on it!
I’ll have to think about how I’m going to celebrate tomorrow! Thursdays are not usually a running day for me.
Great tips! I definitely agree that supporting local is a great way to go! I used to have an Earth Day race I’d do every year but I passed on it with being virtual this year, so I hope to be back in 2022!
The Pandemic has definitely thrown a monkey wrench in my attempts to be eco friendly. I never did grocery delivery before — all the paper & plastic bags! Yuck! And while we sometimes did restaurant delivery pre pandemic, it wasn’t often.
So every little thing you do is important! Great suggestions Jenn!
We did our first CSA last year & will do it again thi year, even though it’s something of a challenge because M. Judy isn’t a big veggie eater.
Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…6 Tips for a Peaceful Race/LSD
Last year gave us every excuse to be wasteful–ordering everything from everywhere and using disposable items like masks, gloves, grocery bags… I am hoping we can get back to being more eco-conscious. Meanwhile, what do I do with all these plastic bags?
I’m excited to go for a plog tomorrow (maybe a couple). I try to make that happen year-round, and not just on Earth Day. I spaced off the Plant a Tree with ROADiD…gonna get that ordered tonight! Thanks for the reminder 😉
These are things that I can certainly be better at. I am always amazed at how much junk people throw on the ground on the trails. Thanks for the tips!
I’m so happy that cappuccinos from my favourite place come in compostable cups (including the lids!). I will definitely go for a run and maybe a plog over the weekend with the kids! Thank you for sharing all these ideas!
I’ve never done plogging but it’s something I’d like to do! When I visited the National Monuments in 2019 in DC I was so sad and disappointed at the amount of trash littering the area. People have no respect anymore.
First, great minds think alike, don’t they? 🙂
The pandemic was certainly bad for the environment (among many other things). I just recently was able to start bringing my own grocery bags again.
I enjoy plogging, though I’m disgusted by what people leave behind. I need to tuck a bag and gloves in my waistband for most of my runs because I feel so bad when I can’t pick something up when I’m out there.
I used Shipt/Instacart many times in the last year, and while convenient, it generated a lot of waste of plastic bags. I have been bringing my reuseable bags into stores despite the signs saying not to…as long as I bag, it has not been an issue.
I’m really bad with reusable bags. I don’t do the shopping though, so I don’t get to say too much LOL.