Update on our Greener Clubs commitment
Last September we announced our partnership with The Green Runners, who are a community with a vision of running without a footprint. They are on a mission to help people run with more awareness of the planet and to challenge the status quo of the running industry, which is often unaware of the impact it is having on the planet.
The partnership has focussed on collaboratively supporting affiliated clubs, RunTogether groups and athletes take positive environmental action, which is a core priority within our sustainability strategy.
Data taken from our tracker survey shows that 84% of regular runners in England say they are interested in sustainability as a part of everyday life, so there is a great opportunity to shift this interest into action.
Following a call out in the autumn, 20 clubs across the country committed to being a part of our Greener Club pilot project, consisting of appointing a green champion and gaining commitment from the club to choose any number of green focussed pledges aligned to The Green Runners pillars:
- How you move
- How you eat
- How you kit up
- How you speak out
Earlier this year, green champions from across the pilot have taken part in carbon literacy training, delivered by Heather Davies, a trained carbon literacy trainer and co-founder of the Re-action Collective, to help build confidence in building advocacy across the club.
Many clubs and groups are already modelling effective sustainable approaches, so through online sharing platforms and drop in sessions, some great examples have been discussed, giving green champions ideas to take back to their own clubs.
Some examples are clubs sharing news stories about their involvement in the Greener Clubs pilot, getting sustainability as a regular committee meeting item and, in their comms, leading with public transport and car sharing, to prioritise more sustainable means of travel.
"I have been trying for years to get sustainably on the agenda at my club, an initiative like this from a governing body has finally enabled me to do it." said Oliver from Ludlow Runners.
With The Green Runners, we have also launched a sustainability collection on Club Hub to help guide all clubs with their own sustainability journeys.
We are planning a wider roll out of Greener Clubs later in the summer, so keep an eye on our channels.
The Green Runners Week of Action
Our partner, The Green Runners are two-years-old! After being founded on Earth Day in 2022, they have been working their socks off to bring members the latest stories, inspiration, encouragement and information to help you become a greener runner.
This year, they are celebrating their second birthday with the #TGRWeekOfAction across our social media channels.