What’s the point of good news if we can’t share it? Stand For Trees is lucky and grateful to partner with amazing organizations, businesses, and like-minded people from all over the world. To shine a light on some of these partnerships and the positive impacts we’re making together, we’ve decided to create a blog series called “Partner Spotlight.”
To kick it off, we’re highlighting a partner that is changing the world by harnessing the power of a hobby many of us enjoy—running. We’re talking about Impact Marathon, and if you haven’t heard of them, they create the most powerful running events in the world, catalyzing real, lasting impact in the communities they run in. Through hands-on project work and fundraising, each event aims to empower amazing local movements led and created by the community, bringing that country one step closer to achieving its Global Goals. Since 2015, they’ve developed 13 unique running experiences in five different countries (and more in the pipeline) and a community of over 400 runners. So, to say their impact extends far and wide is an understatement.
A lot goes into producing and hosting these events. And as part of their mission to make a positive impact on everyone and everything involved in the process, Impact Marathon asked us to help guide their efforts in creating and implementing a Green World Programme, which launched on September 25th. This programme presents a forward-thinking and comprehensive approach to combating the impact of travel and events on our planet. The policies detailed within were created not only for their own organization to adopt, but also for anyone else in their industry to copy, because they want to push the entire travel events industry towards a more sustainable future.
From the amount of flying involved to the food they choose to eat and serve to their race day materials, they assessed every aspect of their organization to develop a list of sustainability policies, including some we’re proud to be a part of:
- Organizational Offset: They will measure the carbon footprint of the day-to-day activities and team travel to their events and offset this with Stand For Trees.
- Become Carbon Negative: They will operate a carbon neutral business and, by 2022, be carbon negative. They will reduce internal emissions by using reusable materials, eating local vegan and vegetarian dishes, minimizing waste, choosing local eco-friendly transportation when practical, supporting local sustainability goals, and much more.
- Individual Offset: All Impact runners will now be opted in to offset their enter Impact trip at checkout, directly supporting Stand For Trees projects.
To offset their carbon emissions, they’ve selected two of our conservation projects to support – Guatemala Conservation Coast and Kasigau Wildlife Sanctuary – both of which are situated in Impact Marathon locations. And let us tell you, these race locations are absolutely breathtaking, just see for yourself…
(Yes, that’s a volcano behind them)
With the Green World Programme in place, the Impact Marathon team is leading the way in a holistic approach to combating the impact of travel and events on our planet. We’re proud to be working with a team that is committed to making their industry more climate-friendly, and we’re excited to continue to collaborate with them as their offset partner.
Here at Stand For Trees, we believe that the fight against climate change is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s an enormous and daunting task that can’t be fixed all at once, but by joining forces and combining resources and knowledge, we can achieve collective action. And our partnership with Impact Marathon is proof that when we work together, good things happen for people and the planet.
Thanks for reading, and we look forward to sharing more partner spotlights soon!
