Run for One Planet Hits NYC!!!

Brooklyn Green Team is thrilled to have found Matt Hill and Stephanie Tait in NYC - one stop along their great journey - a carbon neutral year-long run around the continent! These two green superheroes are running around Canada and the US to garner attention for their cause: saving the planet. Today Matt and Stephanie spoke to students at PS 8 in Brooklyn. The Run for One Planet is an ongoing run endeavour focused on "Inspiring Environmental Action, One Step at a Time."

What is the goal of your journey? Do you feel you will accomplish it?

Our journey has 3 goals:

1) Complete a marathon each every day the tour goes totaling roughly 244 marathons by May 2009

2) Inspire 1 million Americans and Canadians to commit to doing 1 new action for the health of our Planet

3) raise $1 million for our Legacy of Action after completion of the North American tour to act as seed money for grass roots community enhancement projects (funding local initiatives to make a difference globally) We feel VERY strong and excited that we will accomplish our goals, and at the same time the journey is more important than the destination.

How hard is it to stay green while traveling around?

We had a worm compost onboard since day 1 and had to stop when the weather got really hot. However, just last week (Oct. 5th) we went to clean it and would you know it, all the red wrigglers had made many babies and eaten all the organic material we had been feeding them between May and July and to our amazement, thick, rich and incredible soil!! It made my week! Now that we are into Fall we are starting up again as we enter America. Border security said we couldn't bring live worms across from Canada so we are beginning anew Oct. 20th, so hope to have them well on their way by the time we reach New York. It has been a bit harder being as green as we are able at home. The Evolution RV uses a lot of fuel. However, we often debate how much more would three people be using in 3 separate homes, driving 3 cars and all the other energy usage? We spent almost a year putting as many E-alternatives on and inside the RV. It's not perfect but we have tried very hard to do as much as possible to lighten our footprint and are off-setting the total tour Co2 emissions with Eco Neutral out of Vancouver B.C.

Have there been days where you simply couldn't run and if so, how do you get back on the road?

I have to be honest, there has never been a day I've felt I couldn't run. Our mission is too strong and even though, yes, we have both had very hard days both being exhausted, sore and beat up, this inspires us even more to just put one foot in front of the other.

What has been the best part of your journey so far?

People! The best part so far would be the culmination of the last 22 months of training, planning, struggling, celebrating and now running, is meeting so many amazing people for the last 5 1/2 months across Canada, and now about to enter America and meet more amazing people to make a difference for the health of our Planet. It kind of feels like the best is yet to come.

Does a sense of awareness for what is happening to the planet vary greatly at each place you stop?

The awareness from different places we stop at varies GREATLY. It's funny because we have been surprised by some places thinking they were going to be one way and they're the opposite and vice versa. There are always people though in every area that are right on it and it doesn't always mean from big city (no awareness) to small town (big awareness). Both are everywhere which bodes well if we keep at it and stretch peoples thinking and re-teach how to do things everyday. It starts with learning new habits and then the thinking changes of how we are connected to our environment.

How much further?

About 6,000 miles to go!!!!!

What can people reading this do to support your efforts?

They can log onto http://www.runforoneplanet.com/ and Take the Action Challenge and just commit to doing 1 new action for our Earth (remember, small steps add up). If they also feel so inclined to Support our Legacy with a donation, it is gratefully accepted.

Good Luck Guys!!!