The Green Runners Resources Page
A Few Tips To Help You Get Started
We know that the amount of information out there about how to live a green lifestyle can be overwhelming.
And this page is our attempt to highlight the best resources that we have come across.
We hope that this will help if you’re a complete newcomer to this wonderful world, and you’re wondering “where on Earth do I start?!”.
Or whether you’ve been changing your actions for some time and now you’re asking, “what else can I do?”
We’ll try to keep this page updated regularly with the latest resources. And remove those that are no longer relevant.
And if you’ve come across some brilliant advice, please let us know by contacting us here. We’re always keen to learn!
Imperfect Progress is Better Than No Progress
One of the biggest lessons that we’ve each learnt is that nobody is perfect.
In fact, it’s not possible for a single individual to be perfect.
Everyone has to start somewhere. And then the aim is to improve over time.
We love the ladder image here. Because it perfectly conveys that taking small steps consistently will mean more progress in the long term than if you set yourself a huge, intimidating goal straight away.
The small steps that you start to take today will add up to huge leaps over time.
So start taking those steps today!
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”
Six Top Tips To Get You Started - If you don’t read anything else, read this!
Despite doing our best to filter out and show only the best content, there is still a lot of stuff in these lists.
There are loads of great books and websites read, newsletters to sign up to, podcasts to listen to, people to follow and actions to take!
But, we’ve found that there are some guiding principles that can help you on your journey. And help you choose a sustainable life.
If you stick to these principles alone, you will go a long way to reducing your impact on the planet.
- Switch to a green energy supplier – This is one of the simplest ways to significantly cut your carbon footprint. We even have a preferred list of company’s that we think are great on our ‘lifestyle related actions that you can take’ page (for the UK)
- Eat significantly less animal based foods – Meat production is one of the biggest causes of carbon emissions in the world. We’re not saying you have to go totally vegan (although that would be great!), but try to cut out as much as you can
- Travel as little as possible (especially flying) – Avoid flying as much as you can and use public transport or share car journeys. Again, we’re not suggesting that you never fly again. Many of us Green Runners still do. But we try to do it as little as possible. And if you do fly somewhere, try to make sure it’s a last resort and that you make the most of your time there.
- Make sure buying something new is your last option – Over-consumption is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases. New clothes and ‘things’ cost a lot of carbon and water to produce. And a lot of the cheapest items are made by people in deprived communities. To reduce your impact, try to re-use, exchange, or buy second hand before buying something brand new.
- Lead by example and by doing, not preaching – We’ve all experienced when someone preaches at us about their latest lifestyle change or effort to save the planet. And it’s mostly a turn off. As Green Runners we have found that a much better way to convince people to change is by showing them what we’re doing ourselves. Educating them about why we’re doing it. And not just telling them what to do. Remember, that your tiny actions can have a huge ripple effect
- Donate to a good cause – Donating can be a tricky business. You often don’t know where your money is truly going. We’ve provided a list of some of our recommended charities on the ‘lifestyle related actions that you can take’ page. And if you’re not able, or don’t want, to donate money, donating your time can be even better in a lot of situations. Why not go on a litter pick whilst running (plogging), or find a charity that needs some volunteers?
Improving Your Awareness and Understanding
Some of our favourite books, websites and articles
Following and Learning from Key Thought Leaders
World leaders on climate action and the environment. And some of them are runners too!
Running Related Actions You Can Take
Ideas on how to be climate conscious when training, racing, your nutrition, kit, equipment and travel
Lifestyle Related Actions You Can Take
Actions that you can take in your daily life to be more sustainable
COP 29 Azerbaijan
The date is approaching fast and we need to be ready.