The Green Runners share their positive energy from the Blue Earth Summit at Woolwich Works, hosting 3 days of shake out runs and positivity.
How energised our little team felt when we came away from the Blue Earth Summit, held in London in the middle of last month.
We were cautious in the lead up to the Summit, a big question mark hung over our heads as to whether this was really our tribe – was it too corporate, did people here really care about the planet, or was this just a London-centric event claiming to care, but really just focussed on bottom lines and turnovers?
Once we realised that we weren’t having to do the hard sell, and that we were preaching to the converted, we found the space to breathe.
From the moment we engaged with the first attendee, our furrowed brows smoothed, and in this former fireworks factory at Woolwich Works we thrived, sharing stories, bending the ears of those who had sway, and making new partnerships.
Friendly faces too – Kendal Mountain Festival, Protect Our Winters, Trash Free Trails, Kate Chapman of London Marathon Events – even Chris Packham was only too keen to endorse our mission!
Our biggest coup was hosting the Shake Out Runs, every day for the three days of the event. Day one, a gentle 5K taster run; day two, a meaningful plog and running with purpose; day three, another great crowd to close the event with a stop half way to give gratitude and find joy in our run.
Led by Darren, with Paola, Elis, and myself, our little team created quite the stir. Turns out there are plenty of runners at these corporate events!
We know that as environmental ambassadors we sometimes exist in an echo chamber. We’re working hard to put ourselves in places where we can gain more visibility and step outside our comfort zone.
In doing so, we can encourage more people to take pledges, think about our four pillars and run with intention.
Turns out though, even out of our comfort zone we found only positive vibes and people wanting to work together. Seems we all want the same thing.
Blue Earth, we’ll be back!