Brighton Marathon goes green
In a revolutionary move, the Grounded Events Company, organisers of the Brighton Marathon, have decided to send out their Final Instruction Packs electronically this year.
“To my knowledge, this is a first for a race of this kind in Europe,” said managing director, Tom Naylor.
“We pride ourselves on being a young, vibrant and forward thinking company and we are constantly looking at ways to improve the marathon and the runners’ race experience.
“Running is now a popular growth industry within the area and we feel a responsibility to the environment and awareness of the importance of reducing our carbon footprint.”
Cllr Bill Randall, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “I fully endorse the Brighton Marathon’s decision to send out their Final Instruction Packs electronically.
“With more runners than ever competing this year, sending out 18,000, 28-page packs through the post was, quite simply, an unsustainable drain on our ever dwindling natural resources.
“Brighton and Hove City Council encourages every household and enterprise to focus on protecting the environment in as many ways as possible to help us realise our ambition to make our city the greenest in the UK.
“Given the added bonus that running encourages a healthy lifestyle, it seems entirely appropriate that the organisers of the Brighton Marathon should seek a sensible alternative to unnecessary waste.”
The Final Instructions Pack is a 28-page, A4 brochure with a print run of 18,000. Making it available electronically will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 4.6 tonnes, the equivalent to:
Around a third of the average UK citizen's entire carbon footprint for a year
450 people driving the length of the marathon in an average petrol car
64,788 cups of tea
7.5 trips to New York from London
(Calculated by DEFRA carbon life-cycle guide)
Runners register for the Brighton Marathon online which means they all have access to the internet. A high proportion also move house during the year, meaning printed packs often go astray. Sending out the packs online makes the process not only greener but more efficient.
The third Brighton Marathon takes place on Sunday April 15th.