11 hours ago
Income Eco Run raises S$70,000 for WWF-Singapore
[SINGAPORE] The inclement weather in the wee hours of Sunday (Jun 8) morning did not deter close to 5,500 people from turning up for the annual Income Eco Run at Marina Barrage to run for a good cause.
The carbon-neutral event featured five distances – 3 km, 5 km, 10 km, 15 km and the 21.1 km half-marathon – as well as a kids' run and a new pets category. A group of 20 athletes with special needs from Special Olympics Singapore also took part, running alongside volunteer pacers.
Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng flagged off the 5 km and 10 km runs at 8 am, about an hour later than scheduled due to the rain. He also took part in the 5 km event.
This year's Eco Run was held in conjunction with Income Insurance's 55th anniversary celebrations. On Saturday night, nine runners took part in an invitation-only 55 km ultra-marathon.
Income Insurance once again matched S$1 for every kilometre clocked, bringing the total contribution to S$70,000 – the largest amount raised so far. The money will go towards supporting the World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore's (WWF-Singapore) pilot programme to reduce single-use food and beverage packaging.
This programme, supported by WWF-Singapore's partnership with Income Insurance, aligns with the Singapore Green Plan's target to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill each day by 30 per cent by 2030.
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After a rain-induced delay, the runners were raring to go at the starting line at Marina Barrage. PHOTO: INCOME INSURANCE
Income Insurance's chief executive officer Andrew Yeo said: 'We are proud to champion zero waste not just in principle but in practice – from how we manage logistics, materials and waste, to how we rally and engage the public on sustainable choices.'
At the hydration points along the route, for instance, a total of 73,000 compostable, plastic-free cups were used. Instead of being sent to the landfill, these cups will be composted along with banana peels that were collected as part of broader waste-segregation efforts.
The organisers also avoided further waste by encouraging participants to run in their own or past Eco Run shirts. Those who completed their runs received e-certificates instead of physical medals, and the run bibs they wore were about 65 per cent smaller than standard bibs.
At last year's Eco Run, 60 per cent more recyclables were recycled including metal cans, paper cartons and plastic bottles, and general waste generated per person dropped by 25 per cent.
