Can’t find an answer

Why are you doing this?

To drive individual awareness of climate change and in particular the fact that individuals can make a difference. We as Individuals can make a difference without making big or unrealistic sacrifices. Small changes in our lifestyle and in what we buy can make a lasting and significant impact.

What difference can you 2 guys alone make?

That’s exactly the point, every person CAN make a difference, and that’s what we’re here to show, that’s what we’re all about. Everyone (we hope!) is aware of climate change. Much is made in the media about what governments should and should not be doing, which companies are polluting and which are making themselves carbon neutral. All very valid, but ultimately if we don’t all take some action and alter our lives in very small but meaningful ways to physically reduce our personal carbon output, all the carbon offsetting in the world wont save the planet, quite literally.

So what is it that people can do?

3 Simple things that people can do that would in total save more than a tonne of CO2 per person per year:
+ Swap your regular light bulbs for compact fluorescent ones - each light bulb changed will save 60kg of CO2 per year. Changing just 3 light bulbs will save 180kg.
+ Recycle 25% your household waste and save approximately 500kg of CO2
+ Drive 1000 miles less per annum (carpool, use trains or walk for every journey less than 3 miles). Each mile you don’t drive saves almost 0.5kg of CO2. 1000 miles is 500kg.

If you’re feeling ambitious, why not insulate your home – loft and ceiling insulation can save up to 4 tonnes of CO2 for an average family. That’s more than 1.5 tonnes per person.

If one million people each saved a tonne - that is a million tonnes of CO2. Pure Trust reckons this is equivalent to the emissions of a power station that generates enough electricity for the city of Newcastle in the UK.

How hot will the Sahara be?

It will be 35-40C, over 100F in other words; Last year the runners had to run through sandstorms [frequent there] and winds of 120km/hr. We’ve found our training in battersea park and hyde park to be ideal preparation for these conditions.

Dont you add lots of carbon by travelling to these places?

Both our trips are carbon netural through the Pure Trust, one of only 4 charities to meet new recent government standards on carbon offsetting.

What happens after the 2 marathons, have you got anything else planned?

Yes, absolutely. These 2 events are just the start. We have a number of very exciting things in the works. To give you a flavour, here are a couple of examples:

EFI can be used as a platform for others to run their own events, not just sporting ones too. And these will all be tied into our online virtual map of pledgers.There will probably be involvement in some other interesting marathons (Antarctic, Australian desert, Mt Everest, Mt Olympus, Peru, etc), possibly using other marathon runners

We are also considering further exciting initiatives and partnerships to promote EarthFireIce - standup comedy / music gigs and fashion shows to mention a few.

What changes have you guys done in your own life to reduce your carbon?

We have both taken many actions - all of which offer significant carbon savings and without radically altering our lifestyle; As well as some of the examples we gave above which we are doing ourselves, we’ve simply become more conscious about energy waste in our lives, especially when not paying attention – switching lights off when we’re not using them, boiling only the correct amount of water for tea…

What will a million pledges do?

A million pledges is symbolic. The total amount of carbon reduction through those pledges alone clearly won’t save the planet. But that misses the point. A million pledges means a whole lot more people who commit to individual action; who take personal responsibility for what they buy and do and how they live. And when you start to work through the multiplier effect, beyond the pledges, it then becomes meaningful.

Are the pledges meaningful? How can you police? I am sure that many people will make and then not adhere.

A million pledges is symbolic. Ultimately EFI is about driving individuals to think about their own actions, how they live, what they buy, and how that directly impacts on carbon emissions and this climate change.

Are you also planning to raise funds as part of this campaign and how will you spend the money?

The primary objective of our campaign is to encourage individuals to make pledges for action to tackle global warming. Pledges are free. However, we will also make it possible for our supporters to donate money to the campaign. Donations we receive will go to charities Global-Cool and Pure Trust, as well as to certain projects by Practical Action to promote sustainable development in poor communities. We are specifically focusing on those projects which help poor communities become less reliant on carbon emitting energy sources. (See below for examples).

Why have chosen to pursue this approach?

Our approach to fund raising is consistent with the fact that the developed world is responsible for 3 quarters of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, while the effects of global warming will be felt the most by far in the developing world. An important point related to this is that the World Conservation Union estimates that even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions tomorrow we would still be committed to another 0.5°C of warming over the next 50 years.

Can you provide examples of the types of projects you will support?

Yes. To give you some examples of projects we will support with our charity partner Practical Action:

1) Renewable Energy in Sri Lanka Biogas, Wind Turbines and Micro Hydro projects to produce renewable energy for poor communities and families in Sri Lanka

2) Sustainable Forests Project in Peru
Practical Action will help the Chinchipe communities to protect their environment while, at the same time, improving their livelihoods. With the backing of our supporters, we will assist more than 1,000 farming families that have migrated to the Amazon jungle and aid in the safeguarding of some 100,000 hectares of forests located around their settlements.

3) Enhancing the Food and Livelihood Security in Drought Prone Areas of Sudan
The challenge is to strengthen the capacities of the communities, building on their current skills and knowledge, providing sustainable solutions to make them more resilient in times of crisis and less reliant on Food Aid.