2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon will be the first carbon-neutral major marathon in the world

New initiatives include the Schneider Electric Green Runners community. Just a few days before Climate Day held in France on Sunday 8 December, several marathon stakeholders came together in Paris to raise awareness about initiatives that can help to protect the environment. The event organising team notes that running plays a key role in these efforts…

More and more runners are going out plogging together. It is all about running and, even more importantly, picking up litter along the way. The 2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon organised its first plogging event, overseen by Run Eco Team, an organisation that has the support of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. It was a fun moment in the streets of Paris that demonstrated the organisation’s motto “Running for a cleaner world”.

Nutrition, a key element in the preparation of runners, fits in perfectly with this lifestyle if it is based on responsible consumption, local, seasonal products and a zero-waste approach. The same applies to the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) concept, which means making one’s own washing powder, maintenance products and cosmetics.

Recycling and making the right choice on mobility by choosing more fuel-efficient means of transport (public transportation, bicycles, carpooling, etc.) whenever possible are other ways of doing one’s bit for the planet every day.

The Schneider Electric Paris Marathon team adds that the even is replicating these individual actions on a larger scale. Achieving carbon neutrality, reducing waste at the event (-30% over 3 years), recycling waste (67% vs 39% earlier), collecting and recycling clothes at the start (4.3 tonnes in 2019) and donating food that has not been handed out at refreshment stations to the Restos du Cœur and Chainon Manquant non-profit associations are just a few examples.

The 2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon wants to raise awareness about lifestyle changes among runners. The marathon organisers are encouraging people to join The Schneider Electric Green Runners community and take up weekly challenges to reduce carbon footprint. Each time #SEgreenrunners is used on social media, Schneider Electric, with the help of NGO partners, will plant mangrove trees.

posted Saturday December 21st
by Gary