London Marathon strives to reduce its carbon footprint
Source: https://wtvbam.com/2023/04/21/london-marathon-strives-to-reduce-its-carbon-footprint/
Author: Lori Ewing
Some 50,000 runners will race in the 43rd London Marathon on Sunday and then head home with participant medals around their necks and silver foil blankets around their tired shoulders. And they will leave a large carbon footprint in their wake.
Like any mass participation event, climate concerns are a growing part of marathon planning, and this year London Marathon Events have teamed up with the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) to measure the social and environmental impact of the race.
“I’d say absolutely, (sustainability) is something that has become much more important, whether it’s the participants, to sponsors, to partners,” Kate Chapman, the London Marathon’s sustainability adviser, told Reuters.
Travel has the biggest environmental impact on large marathons, and so a 26 pound ($32) carbon levy to help offset greenhouse gas emissions is part of the entry fee for international participants.
But marathons also leave a huge trail of trash. The London event has previously generated as much as seven tonnes of rubbish and four tonnes of recycling.