Photo by Katerha via Creative Commons v.2.0
“As a company organising outdoor events in the Thames, Henley Swim has always been mindful of the environmental impact of our events. We have tried wherever possible to be environmentally responsible, to ensure that while allowing people to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, we are not damaging it in any way.
In 2018 we are making even more effort to reduce the carbon footprint of our events, and to look at the wider picture. We are aware that we cannot solve all the problems in one go, so this year have identified a number of areas where we will aim to improve, and we ask for your help in making this happen.
Water & Plastics
We will not be selling bottled water at any of our events. Water will be freely available in large containers. We encourage you to bring your own re-usable bottles to refill, but paper cups will also be available if necessary, which we will then recycle.
Car Sharing/Public Transport
Please use public transport, or fill as many seats in your car, wherever possible. We know that Temple Island Meadows is not the easiest place to get to by public transport at 2am, so we are encouraging all swimmers, volunteers, staff and exhibitors to car share. Please use our Facebook forum Henley Swim Chatter to try and find people travelling to and from the same location as you. Alternatively travel on the Saturday when public transport is available, and camp next to the event site.
Waste Management
Instead of general waste bins at our events, we will have recycling bins. We ask that you sort your rubbish into the appropriate bins. Alternatively take your rubbish away with you, and deposit in your own recycling.
Goodie Bags
We are aware that a large proportion of the content of a goodie bag ultimately ends up unused. For 2018 we are planning on reducing waste by giving people an option as to what they want to take home. We will be experimenting, so at the Classic and the Thames Marathon we will encourage you to bring your own bag to the sampling station, and just take the products that you know you will use.
In addition to the above areas, we have contacted our suppliers and are asking them to consider their own options, for example to reduce packaging and unnecessary transport, to help us in our efforts to be environmentally responsible.
Thank you for your support, we are aware that this is only the beginning so if you have any other suggestions please feel free to contact us.“
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