By: jamesmackeddie
blog, , , ,

World Earth Day

World Earth Day 🌍

Many charities, foundations and corporations will say what the day means to them, how it is part of their values and in some cases how purchases can aid the cause.

In reality your actions on a day to day basis have a larger impact, than any one single act.

I’ve been cutting down the amount of single use plastic I use this year, but, I’m nowhere near perfect, nor do I let it get in the way of certain purchases. Single use plastic isn’t the only action area; renewable energy, transport, what we eat…. the list is potentially endless.

One group which I have taken a lot of inspiration from is Trash Free Trails, headed up by Dom of Surfers Against Sewage. Now, I’ve never surfed but am a member of the SAS charity given their values and mission. However, Trash Free Trails is that thing I’ve been looking for, a cause we I can directly contribute and relate to.

I use Trails all the time; running, riding and walking. I live in land, but when I travel, it is always for one trail or another.

So to kick off my World Earth Day I used my recovery run to aid clearing my local trails. I set off with a 10 litre backpack, but quickly found I had amassed 30 or so litres of rubbish. The vast majority, if not all, non biodegradable.

  • Plastic bags, bottles, wrappers
  • Energy drink/beer/soft drink cans
  • Energy gels

4 miles of trails left we with a weighty bag to run with in my hand. The images were taken mid run before I found the worst offending areas.

Of course, this isn’t the solution.

Getting companies to stop using single use plastics & educating the consumer for purchase choices and behaviours is vital to reduce this. After all, why do people feel the need to discard a can beside the trail when they were happy to carry it when it had weight?

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World Earth Day 🌍 . As someone who spends a lot of their time on trails and in mountains, I want to play my part to help maintain, protect & sustain the natural environment . I spent the morning running a variety of trails, collecting rubbish from the trail, flanks and hedgerows, inspired by Dom at @trashfreetrails . From plastic bottles to cans, wrappers, glass and a real variety of other trash that won’t biodegrade or break down beyond micro parts, I want my trails to be clear. I set of with an empty 10 litre pack, what I collected was closer to 30 litres (image taken mid run). Why people need to dispose of the packaging that weighs next to nothing, when they are happy to carry the complete product onto trails perplexes me . Of course, this isn’t the answer, education & companies ceasing use of single use plastic will go a lot further, but the message is simple, we can all play our part . Small actions, large impact . Blog post in Bio πŸŒπŸ”πŸ”πŸ”πŸŒ . #trashfreetrails #trailrunning #earthday #actionsspeaklouderthanwords #teampyllon #stancerun #beatyesterday #worldearthday2018 #worldearthday

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So, moving forward, I intend one recovery run a week to be used for making #trashfreetrails. That or when I’m on my bike, but either way, making a small difference.

World Earth Day isn’t the day of the year action should be taken, but a reminder of how amazing the natural environment is, and with that, how much we play a role in determining how many forests are eradicated, how many products are manufactured and what it will be like for our futures

Small actions, large impacts.