The CO2 tag in Bangalore done with runners in Cubbon Park, also called "The Lung" of Bangalore
In India CO2 Green Drive collaborated with Dr. Rajat Chauhan (above to the left), founder and organizer of “La Ultra – The High”, the world’s toughest ultra-marathon, and Centre for Social Markets (CSM).
For the events on Earth Day emphasis was on introducing running as a healthy and fun activity to as many people as possible under the moniker “Crawl Walk Run”. Following a strategy of organic growth and encouraging friends and runner associations throughout India to organize their own events, the activities included six cities and a total of approximately 250 runners.
In Bangalore 70-80 people took part in the activities of which some 25-30 people represented “crawlers”; ie. new runners. The sentiment from participants, local partners as well as the CO2 Green Drive team is that Bangalore has great potential in light of the local commitment and willingness to expand on the idea.
In Thane more than 50 participants joined the activities, including, central running group Masthanes and many local residents. Among the participants was a 76 year old man with the youngest being 6-year old Bubbles Shinde who covered the entire distance on her bicycle.
In Delhi 15 cyclists and 10 runners alongside a large number of volunteers ensured that Delhi was “tagged” with a huge CO2 while 35-50 runners participated in the activities in Hyderabad.
In Pune 20 people joined a core team of 4 members doing a 24 hours run. Finally, in Bhopal 3 runners equipped with Smartphone GPS tracking took part in the CO2 Green Drive activities.
The successful activities in India demonstrated how CO2 Green Drive can be expanded to appeal to new audiences and significantly increase the number of participants/CO2 “brushes”. To quote Thane organizer, Sunil Gwalani, from an article in India Times Plus: “Trying to stop climate change or reversing it, might seem like an impossible task and a select few can’t do anything. If there is a mass movement at the micro level involving citizens of the world, we just might have a chance.”
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