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Excellent Development Triathlon Goes Planet Positive

12th August 2008

Excellent Development, a Planet Positive charity that works with self-help community groups in rural semi-arid Africa to improve water supply, food production, health and income, is hosting a Triathlon in the last week of August which will raise £30,000 for their work building sand dams and planting trees. The triathlon involves climbing the UK’s three highest mountains, swimming the UK’s three largest lakes and cycling the 500 miles in between in one week.

The charity has decided to make the operations of this triathlon Planet Positive, by measuring, reducing and offsetting the emissions of two tracking cars that will follow participants. All carbon credits will be offset into Excellent Development's charity projects in Africa with strong corporate social responsibility attributes. This will then be the world's first Planet Positive sporting event!

The charity’s holistic approach starts with the building of small sand dams and the terracing of the adjoining land, followed by the planting of trees, which results in significantly improved soil and water conservation. This enables increased food production, and, later on, food security and the ability to sell produce to generate income. Planting trees and improving water supplies through these methods also counteracts the impacts of climate change in semi-arid areas.

Richard Barnes, a seasoned fundraiser and cyclist, has organized the event. Together with good friend Paul Mace, a competitive cyclist whose own record of cycling 258 miles in twelve hours won him 11th place in the UK time trials, and brother David Barnes, who is the captain of Reading Cricket Club and a fully trained lifeguard, Barnes has devised what he hopes will become the UK’s first annual endurance event.

On day one the three participants will be climbing Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain at 4,408 feet, then cycling 80 miles and pitching camp, ready to swim Loch Lomond on day two. Loch Lomond is the largest (and coldest) fresh water Loch in the UK. Swimming its 24 mile length is no mean feat in itself, and that is only the beginning! The trio will head down to England, then on to Wales, climbing the highest mountain and swimming the longest lake in both countries, before cycling back to London for a homecoming party.

http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/triathlon.php