Earth or event?
By supplying plastic bottles to runners, a recent ‘eco-friendly’ run didn’t go all out for Earth, writes Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan
THE National Geographic Earth Day Run 2019 at Gamuda Walk late last month was themed Planet or Plastic, but the biggest irony was that the organisers (National Geographic in partnership with Gamuda Land) gave out refillable bottles made of — you guessed it — plastic, for runners to refill at water stations.
Dubbed “Malaysia’s most anticipated eco-friendly run” in the post-event release, the run wanted the running community to understand the dangers of single-use plastic and to raise awareness on plastic pollution.
I don’t know any runner who often uses collapsible refillable bottles. Most runners use a water bottle belt, like a fanny pack, but instead of a pouch, they carry a water bottle.
My collapsible water bottle is in my kitchen, unused and I suspect it will be tossed away soon, if I can’t find anyone to give it to.
In retrospect, the organisers should have asked the 2,300 runners to BYOB (bring your own bottle). That would have eliminated the need to produce 2,300 of those little containers.
DILEMMA OF ORGANISATION
But running events have become carnivals of sorts and despite wanting to spread a big message, organisers need to make sure runners feel welcome so they give out those bottles anyway.
Also, in the age of social media where everyone thinks he is entitled to comment — no matter how shallow or superficial — I don’t think the organisers want to handle remarks such as :“We pay registration fees and you want us to bring our own water bottle?”
Smaller races like Conquer The Trails at Kiara ask runners to bring their own water bottles. I like this idea because it saddens me to see paper cups strewn along the stretch of the running route as if everyone is Eliud Kipchoge who wants to break the world record for marathon and an extra second to toss a cup into the bin means wasting precious time.
FLAT ROUTE
The 15km run was easy as the route was flat. Runners were flagged off at 6.30am at the Gamuda Walk Mall. The timing is quite late for the distance, but for an event where there is a VIP flagging-off the race, this is to be expected.
The run was also supported by the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Environment and Climate Change and the Ministry’s deputy secretary-general Dr K. Nagulendran flagged-off the 15km race.
There was a 2km category for GParks Rangers members between 6 and 13 years old. GParks Rangers are young ambassadors of Gamuda Parks, a special initiative set-up to establish a benchmark to promote sustainability in how the company develops its townships.
This new addition in the run provided a fun platform to educate a younger audience on the implications of plastic pollution on the environment.
AVERAGE RACE
Overall, the organisation was average. There were adequate water stations but none gave out isotonic drinks. The air was still and humid and given the distance, isotonic drink should have been provided.
Bananas were given only at the end of the race, presumably because the organisers didn’t want peel to be strewn around. Blue compost bins were provided for banana peel and many announcements were made before and after the race, reminding runners again and again to throw their peels there.
When I walked over to drop mine, I saw not only peel, but a mineral water bottle, dumped into the compost bin. I was lost for words but realised that Malaysians have a very, very long way to go when it comes to understanding what it means to be kind to Earth. Or to properly listen to instructions.