It has taken me far too long to get around to becoming a member and sharing my pledges, but here we go!

1) How YOU Move

I need to make more effort to run or bike locally instead of taking short car journeys. 

2) How YOU Kit-up

Repairing kit whenever possible. I will make use of the Ellis Brigham project "giving outdoor gear a 2nd life" to pass on kit I'm no longer using. 

3) How YOU Eat

I will find ways to reduce the exceptions to my plant based diet. 

4) How YOU Speak Out

This is the first step for me speaking out more. I will try and do more to openly share my own decisions and encourage others to do the same. 

In some ways, the first 3 aren't anything new for me. But pledge 4 feels like a big step. I have always assumed that it is obvious that as an individual and as a business, we are doing what we can to reduce our climate impact, but I know I can do more.

For starters, here are some of the things that we have been doing over recent years:

Travel - All of my own international travel since 2021 (and plenty before that) has been by driving rather than flying. I try to plan at least 3 weeks away so that the travel feels worth it!

We balance the carbon for all of our business mileage. For 2018-2023 this has amounted to 5.87 tonnes of CO2 which we balanced with a donation of £146.88 to the Trees+ project. 

For all of our customers coming on our courses we also offer the option for you to balance your own carbon. This year we have also trialed a system to encourage and facilitate lift sharing. 

Kit - I’ve never been a massive kit snob and am happy to get out my sewing kit, so I don’t think my kit consumption is too bad. Recent work to repair my shoes seems to be going well.

Diet - We’ve been pretty much vegetarian for 4 or 5 years and mostly plant based (basically no milk and a lot less cheese) for 2. Finding alternatives for eggs and yogurt need a bit more work. 

You can find out more about the green runners and make your own pledges here. 

I'll be wearing my Green Runners badge with pride next year, it would be great to see a few more out on the trails!