Just a wee one.
You see, I've decided to run in the Rainforest Foundation's (RFUK) 10km run this Sunday (November 2nd) at Finsbury Park in London. Whilst the idea of getting fit to save the trees is a good one, if we are not also reducing our dependency on our woody friends then we're going to find it pretty hard to make any headway with the cause.
This is why I was a little taken aback when my fundraising pack arrived in the post last week. The fact that it arrived via post (paper) and not email may have been enough to make me wonder. But this was more than just a letter saying ‘thanks for entering'. This was a twelve page information pack and a thirty page Annual Review made of thick card. To say I was happy about this would be like saying indigenous people the world over are gleeful and grateful for being booted out of their forest homelands.
I raised money for the World Land Trust (WLT) in March when I hopped (injured knee) the Barcelona marathon. The WLT sent me an email with a link to their website where I could find out how the donations I raised would be spent. If I really wanted to find out about their financial activities I could have on their website. But I didn't need or want it at the time. It's understandable to make this information available to the public, particularly to those supporting the charity but we don't need to be splashing it about with ink on the very material we're trying to use less of (albeit via a recycling machine).
That said and done, The Rainforest Foundation is a good charity. They do a lot of good things for our Earth. Founding patron Sting is a big believer. They work to protect rainforests and improve the lives of indigenous communities by, amongst other things, helping local people to lobby governments to recognise their land rights and develop sustainable livelihoods.
There are still places available if you'd like to enter this run, or one of the others they do periodically throughout the year. Admission is £17 for the Finsbury Park one and you can enter through The Rainforest Foundation's website.
Happy running tree lovers!
