Running Reflection: Climate Work as a Marathon
Two weeks ago, I ran the course of the Boston Marathon and my journey over the 26.2 miles felt like a metaphor for how I am approaching building the Foundation’s first programmatic climate strategy. Below are five reflections from my run.
By Julia Howard
Photo above by Richard Howard
It is a marathon, not a sprint.
The racecourse starts on a significant descent and it’s tempting, with the excitement and the pull of gravity, to want to go fast but that is not strategic or sustaining. I took note of my surroundings (lots of poison ivy!) and soaked in the first town sign I passed, and focused on finding a breathing rhythm, and those grounding experiences helped remind me of the big goal: running down Boylston Street and finishing the course.
Like the early miles of my run, the first year of our climate initiative was one for data collection. That came in the form of research and more than 100 meetings across the region with nonprofits, residents, advocates, and policymakers—listening, learning, strategizing—to help TBF build our vision for this work. We are committed to using multiple “tools for impact,” such as advocacy, convening, research, and grantmaking, to build more resilient infrastructure and systems to protect the well-being of communities that are on the front line of climate change impacts.
Nevertheless, persist.
I have come short of completing the Boston Marathon twice due to injury, and both occasions left significant heartbreak. The disappointment and frustration at not being able to reach that goal hasn’t kept me from going out to the racecourse other years to cheer on friends or volunteer in a medical tent. Still, I continued to feel pulled to return to the course as a runner. So, I decided I would. I trained. I set a date to run the course. And I did it.
Both at the city and state level, we are off target to meet our net-zero, carbon-free goals for 2030 and for 2050. We are fortunate to have administrations at both levels that are prioritizing this work; however, it is going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort across sectors to achieve, especially given the rollback of support at the federal level. The Boston Foundation is committed to working on multiple fronts to accelerate progress toward these net-zero goals and ensure that equity is centered in this clean transition.
Now is not the time to rest.
When I got to mile 19 on the course, my body was feeling depleted from the humidity and the hills. My folks were there to hand me some water, and I told them, “I’m not sure I can make it, but I’m going to walk up this next hill and see how it goes.” I made it up that hill and resumed running.
In the last 100-and-some days we have witnessed unimaginable turbulence and attacks on the nation’s institutions and democracy, and climate has been a top target. Each week we see more federal grants to nonprofits cut, renewable energy projects halted, and protections of public land removed. However, as TBF President and CEO Lee Pelton reminds us, now is not the time to rest; it is the time for us to be restless and relentless. The Boston Foundation is directing more philanthropy than ever into our communities to advance equity as well as our ambitious goals around our pathways and initiatives. In climate we are supporting work that will drive progress in the retrofitting of Boston’s 70,000 small buildings, train 34,000 electricians, plumbers, HVAC and other workers to join the clean energy workforce, and inform policy that will bring more resources to neighborhoods that experience extreme weather.
Community is the core of our success.
My parents have always been an essential support for me throughout my journey as a long-distance runner, and this day was no different. They drove me out to the start, provided energy replenishment support the whole way, and brought the cheers. In addition, my brother and two friends hopped in with me for the final few miles on the course, and their encouraging, positive energy was the boost I needed to believe that I could make it to the finish.
Boston stands up.
As I ran down Commonwealth Avenue I was met with a sea of people. It wasn’t Marathon Monday but a similarly festive Sunday. Some folks were donning their Red Sox gear for the afternoon game, others wearing fresh new Walk for Hunger t-shirts earned by having taken part in Project Bread’s annual event that day, and lots of families were out enjoying a sunny weekend day in our city. The course ends right in front of the Boston Public Library, the first free large municipal library in the United States, and I could see a flurry of folks inside—enjoying a book, lunching at the café, or tuning into a live recording of GBH radio.
When I crossed the finish line, I took a moment to bow down and touch the famous painted pavement. In that moment, I felt the sights and experience of this day. I let the years of my adventures around the Boston Marathon wash over me. And lines from Mayor Wu’s recent State of the City Speech rang through my mind:
"We are a city that knows our strength is each other: And we will defend the people we love with all that we’ve got.
When the weight of the world presses down, Boston stands up.
It is because of this community—and the work we’ve done together—that I was able to raise my right hand, swear an oath, and tell the nation the truth: That Boston is the greatest city on earth."
This sentiment from our mayor is one that I didn’t just feel on the finish line, it is one I feel every single day I show up for work at the Boston Foundation. I get the privilege to learn and collaborate daily with colleagues across disciplines, because this climate initiative is not something separate from our other work—rather, it is woven across all our pathways to equity.
About TBF's Climate Work
Our Vision:
Both the City of Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts have set overarching climate-oriented goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, that will require an all-hands-on-deck effort across sectors. The Boston Foundation is committed to using our tools for impact to help accelerate progress towards these net-zero goals and ensure that equity is centered in this clean transition.
Our Work:
We support work that builds more resilient infrastructure and systems to protect the wellbeing of communities that are on the frontline of climate change impacts.