Young Mtunzini environmentalist takes on #ZeroWasteRun

MTUNZINI’S environmental champion Skylar Upfold – at just eight years old – is gearing up for a new challenge to free the environment of plastic waste.

The young conservationist spearheaded Sky’s Save our Planet three years ago, an ongoing beach clean-up and environmental awareness campaign which targets plastic pollution.

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She’ll continue this mission next weekend when she takes on the virtual #ZeroWasteRun challenge from Thursday, 5 to Sunday, 8 August.

Driven by Australian ultra-marathon runner and environmentalist Mina Guli #ZeroWasteRun is a global challenge where participants seek to limit their waste footprint and get to ‘zero waste’.

Skylar, who loves the natural world, believes this is an ideal opportunity to explore the outdoors while collecting plastic.

‘Through this and other campaigns, I hope to stop plastic from ending up in oceans where it endangers wildlife,’ said the young environmentalist.

Currently, around eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the water – a number which increases every year.

Skylar encourages all community members to sign up for the #ZeroWasteRun, pledging a distance to spread awareness on this important issue.

The event is open to everyone from beginners to pros, with every step counting towards a zero-waste future.

To join the #ZeroWasteRun challenge:

Click on www.minaguli.com/zerowasterun to register for the event.

Choose a distance which can be run or walked in one day, or spread over the four days between 5 and 8 August.

Remember to use the term #ZeroWasteRun in social updates when sharing the run and spread the zero-waste message.

For those on Strava, join the club at https://www.strava.com/clubs/everydropcounts