We all can make a difference in the world we live in. After all, it’s our home. This year, we hold the biggest Cork City Marathon to date, with over 10,000 participants, so it is really important that we reduce our impact on the environment.
Tees for Trees
Waste is a dirty word – pun intended. Unfortunately, it’s too common and we want to eliminate it as much as possible, so this year we are giving participants the opportunity to swap their tee for supporting native-tree planting in Ireland.
Making a t-shirt has a significant environmental impact, A single cotton t-shirt requires the same amount of water that a human drinks in 2.5 years, as well as over 2kg of eCO2. While we love to see our Cork Marathon shirts worn when you’re out training or in other races, we hate the idea of them languishing in a cupboard or drawer.
In turn, trees aid in the fight against climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as providing a habitat for a variety of species and providing us with clean air to breathe.
This can all be done by each participant at the click of a button when registering/ via their Eventmaster account. It has never been easier to do your bit.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce waste, reuse what you have, and recycle!
We’re proud to reward your run this year with medals that are 100% recyclable. If you don’t want to frame it, please put your medal in your recycling bin.
We are using Bio badges for staff accreditation; they can get recycled in the green bin – if they do go into landfill they will degrade after about 4 years.
All information will be accessible via our website, from the race programme to where to refill your bottle in town (not only on race day, but any day) – it’s all there and can be accessed from any device.
The race programme will be available to download on the website and per QR code at registration and bag drop in city hall. By having all information accessible in digital format we make a huge difference to the environment. Paper production adds a significant amount of pollution to our atmosphere and our water supplies. Paper mills frequently release harmful gases such as CO2 and nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere when producing, while water plays a big part in the pulping process.
All our entries have been online this year without the need of any paper-based entry forms, the same applies to your tickets – there is no need to print them, just show them to us on your phone or smart device at registration.
We have also ensured that our water cartons and lids are 100% recyclable too so we have opted for sugarcane-based material and to top them up there will be Refill Ireland at the finish line.
Our goodie bags are paper instead of fabric bags, as the majority of people have many reusable bags in their homes/cars already. Instead, we have focussed on really high-quality products in the goody bag for all Marathon and Half Marathon runners with a value of over €30 per bag. A smaller goodie bag is provided for Relay teams.
Our earth, our home
Ultimately, every person counts by doing their bit. Cork City Marathon is committed to reducing waste, using green suppliers where possible and using environmentally friendly, compostable materials.
Cork City Marathon is passionate about making the earth a priority.