Running catalyzes community and business sustainability

Monday, May 21st, 2012

By: Anna Beech, Civic Exchange

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The Hong Kong Distance Runner’s Club’s (HKDRC) 35th Green Half Marathon and 10K run will take place on 4 November 2012. For the past two years the numbers of runners taking part, as well as the number of sponsors of the race, have both increased quite dramatically. Why is that?

The main reason is because the HKDRC has been striving to reduce the race’s carbon footprint, making it more family friendly (by adding the 10-km option) and by adding green touches, in turn attracting green conscious sponsors.

Proving those who say turning green is expensive wrong, the race has gone from strength to strength since making the conscious decision to start reducing its carbon footprint.

The HKDRC aims to make its 2012 race day as green as possible by giving out sustainable souvenirs and prizes, cutting down as much as possible on unnecessary waste (by using re-usable runner’s bibs, offering runners foldable, re-usable bottles for water), providing free bus shuttles to the start of the race, encouraging runners to use public transport rather than private cars and providing plants as prizes and organic vegetables at the end of the race for a ‘green’ post race snack!

In addition, with the help of Civic Exchange, the race organisers have composed a ‘green’ quiz that will be added to the race entry form to raise awareness about low carbon living.

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