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What We Did
Images of multi-sport athletes fording rivers, kayaking down rapids and biking through the Southern Alps in the Coast to Coast race have become part of our identity. What these athletes love is the physical challenge combined with the stunning landscapes they traverse. What is also critical, is to understand that these landscapes are taonga and need special care. This partnership between the event, Leave No Trace and UC researcher Chris North developed an educational campaign for the athletes (and their support crews) to care for the land.
Who Was Involved
UC’s Dr Chris North founded Leave No Trace New Zealand in 2009, to educate all people in New Zealand about minimum impact practices. Joining up with the Kathmandu Coast to Coast and Ultimate Event Productions Limited, we reached out to athletes with blogs, signage and interactive activities. Survey results showed a significant improvement in their understanding of how to minimise their impact while racing.
Why It Matters
Bringing together environmental education programmes with iconic events will help our love affair with the outdoors to be good for both people and our special places. Strategic partnerships such as this one show what can be done with good alignment between values and goals.
Learn More
- Check out more details on the project’s web-page: www.leavenotrace.org.nz, news on infonews.co.nz
- North C. (2011) The sidelining of environmental care in outdoor education programmes: Why it happens, why it shouldn't and what we can do about it. New Zealand Journal of Outdoor Education 2(5): 35-50.
