Vancouver Foundation – Article on R41P!
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
– Attributed to Lao-tzu (c 604-c 531 BC), founder of Taoism
On May 4, 2008, at the Vancouver Marathon, Matt Hill and Stephanie Tait took the first step of their journey; the first of what would be almost 24 million steps — an epic journey that would change their lives and touch thousands of others. Over the next year, they would travel almost 18,000 km around North America, on foot, carrying with them a message of environmental conservation and stewardship.
Starting with the Vancouver Marathon, they would each run the equivalent of a marathon a day for a year. With the help of a 28’ RV retro-fitted with eco-additions (and nicknamed “Racy Verna”) and a support team of more than 30 dedicated volunteers, they would run through 10 provinces, 25 states, wear out 13 pairs of running shoes, make 200 presentations on environmental awareness, and inspire 25,000 elementary school children to reduce, re-use and recycle.
Their “Run For One Planet” project would spread the message that, like their own physical journey, when it comes to the environment, small steps add up. And that if people start with one step, one simple action (like turning off unused lights, or not wasting water), that everyone can contribute to saving the planet.
“We were both very inspired by the film An Inconvenient Truth,” says Stephanie. “Then Matt came up with the idea of a marathon that would focus on environmental action; a project where we would visit communities, towns, and cities around North America and inspire people to take simple daily actions to improve our planet’s environment. We know that small steps add up, and that collectively we can each make a difference in our quest to improve ourselves and our environment. So for 18 months, we prepared for this trip. We trained, found sponsors, put together a list of 10 actions that people could do very easily, and then headed out across North America.”
“We very quickly learned that the kids were the key,” says Matt. “They would take the message of conservation back to their families. They were also the highlight of the trip … They were just so excited when we would come to their school and talk to them. They thought we were running around the world!”
Matt’s talents as an actor and voice-over artist proved invaluable at reaching children in Grades 2 to 7. He is the voice of many cartoon characters, and youngsters immediately recognized “Ed” on Cartoon Network’s Ed, Edd and Eddy, and “Raphael” of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“It was like we were the Pied Piper,” says Hill. “They’d follow us around … they treated us like rock stars. We were signing autographs. What was great is that we all had fun, and they learned stuff. Kids get it. They learned that plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose. And they learned there’s something they can do about it.”
The year-long environmental marathon was filled with highs and lows. Running through the northeastern US in November and December was particularly rough. Sometimes it was all they could do just to put one foot in front of the other. Stephanie was almost blown off the road by hurricane force winds, Matt ran through a lightning storm that had his hair standing on end. They encountered bears in northern Ontario, dubious police officers in New Mexico, and had a thousand other adventures. They also raised $120,000 in donations.
A year and four days after they started, Matt and Stephanie returned home to Vancouver.
May 8, 2009 they ran the last leg from Horseshoe Bay to Vancouver with a police escort, over the Lions Gate Bridge, and into the new Trade and Convention centre to mark the end of one journey and the start of another.
With the money Run For One Planet raised, Matt and Stephanie started an endowment fund at Vancouver Foundation.
“We want to use that money to educate more kids,” says Stephanie. “We’re creating an ambassador program that will have mentors teaching young children about environmental awareness. And a toolkit for classrooms. We are going to use the fund to contribute to the emerging field of environmental and lifestyle education for children in Grades 2 through 7 here in BC.”
For Matt and Stephanie, there is no finish line. The job of environmental action continues. They are busy creating school materials on recycling and the 10 small steps, inspiring people with their boundless energy and enthusiasm. And they are planning another epic run.
For more information about the Run for One Planet, and what small steps you can take, visit their website at www.runforoneplanet.com
To donate to Run for one Planet, visit www.vancouverfoundation.ca