An organized outdoor long-distance running event combines the elements of fun, discipline, tenacity, endurance, and health. Public interest in the event is high due to curiosity, appreciation, and, to some, the opportunity to pit oneself against peers. These positive aspects make a canvas on which a picture drawn of concern and caution about an issue that is counter to health can stand out. Since clean air is needed for healthy running, environmental issues make a good fit. Thus ecology and environment make good subjects. But, ecology and environment being strongly correlated, one could choose either. Ecorun = Ecology + Running

In many countries it is popular to hold long-distance runs and walks to raise awareness of and funds for various causes, especially those related to health such as cancer, environment and the like.

The messages aim to achieve two things:
(1) Improve sensibility to the environment
(2) Encourage governments - local, state, and federal - to do the following:
(a) Sustainable management of natural resources, and ecologically amenable and environmentally safe waste management
b) Enacting laws preventing environmentally harmful practices by individuals and companies.

If ecorun is good for raising awareness about ecological issues, there still remains the question whether ecological awareness is needed in India, the homeland of the gentle religions of Jainism and Buddhism. We discuss this below.

Rapid economic growth imposes strains on the environment. China and India are currently rapidly growing countries economically. So we expect these two countries to be putting strains on the global climatic environment. But these countries can not be faulted on this count. So what is their fault?

China and India are 121st and 123rd respectively in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). A performance index largely measures how a country is doing in terms of pollution and natural resource management. EPI measures government policy put into practice. Our understanding is that the more environmentally friendly a country's policy is and the closer it adheres to it, the bigger the EPI for the country. Still, EPI does not measure the practice of industry or the habits of people. Now, all these - government policy, adherence to the policy, the practices of indutry and the habits of people - can be altered only by self-will or government law. Awareness campaigns can help to alter both self-will and government law. This is the reason for the ecorun in India - to help improve people's sense of duty to the environment and to encourage the governments - local, state, and federal - to enact laws preventing environmentally harmful practices. An example of a needed law is that no one should be allowed to burn anything without a license. This will prevent the common environmentally harmful practice of the burning of leaves and trash. A law for personal safety is to ban asbestos from being used for roofing. A law for manufacturers with smokestacks is the mandatory use of high-efficiency scrubbers.

A performance index is also impacted by how a country manages its natural resources and handles waste and sewage.

An ecorun in India is even more important as India is about to become the most populous nation, if not already. (India will be the most populous nation since India has imposed no control, unlike China, on the number of children per family.) The government's handling of waste and sewage is dismal in India.

Although China and India currently have low EPI scores, the carbon footprint per capita in either country is less than that of countries such as the USA and Canada. The reason is the following for India. Although India is dismal in environmental management, the per-capita consumption in the USA is so high in comparison that even with the better environment management there - recycling of plastic, e-waste, batteries, tyres, and fluorescent fulbs, and emissions reduction due to flue filters, higher-efficiency automobile engine design and low-lead gasoline (petrol) - the pollution caused per capita in the USA is far greater than in India or China. However, the per capita consumption in India and China is trending up. So, unless the EPI score improves greatly in these two countries they will end up having greater carbon footprint per capita.

What the USA, Canada and other long-affluent countries need to do today is a per-capita reduction of consumption! The chairman of Ecorun India is an India-born Canadian citizen. This page was written by him and hence should not be construed as partial to any country. The discussion was based purely on current (May 2010) data.