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This Sustainable Life

360: Sparta could make history

Ep. 360
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Here are the notes I read from on recounting the potential I saw for the Spartan Race community and its founder, Joe De Sena, if they chose to prioritize environmental stewardship.

 

  • Context: Joe: carries chain up 1,000-foot hill, brings others with him, invites people to climb hill for 24 hours, leads to Spartan Run.
  • Brings people up to carry boulders up steep hill, which they pay to do.
  • Community: Integrity, personal motivation, fun, supportive
  • Tasks: Learn about yourself, great joy, striving, constantly improving They understand the mental and physical side, learning, growing, deeper satisfaction and reward than cookies and ice cream.
  • Got me to go to Vermont and run up and down hill seven times.
  • Environment: abysmal: trash, doof, little fruits and vegetables, bottles, ignoring well water, no natural fibers
  • Texts from kids
  • But huge potential. 7 million members. They know you have to go through uncertainty, pain, struggle, mostly self-doubt, your mind telling you reasons to stop, working through them.
  • I've spoken with world-class leaders. Joe and his community see what to do and have lived doing it in other areas.
  • Competitors included blind, one foot, 61-year-old, black, white, hispanic, carrying 100-pound load, loads of kids.
  • I proposed one trash bag per event that all have to use and only fill
  • one, maybe one recycling container, but keep it empty too.
  • No single-rider cars. Joe said needed big fine. Given their integrity, I
  • proposed internal motivation. After speaking I thought instead give them cash and time off their finishing time so the'll go on record as having beaten people they didn't deserve to.
  • If Joe and his team act on my ideas, could become first main community to lead. They'll enjoy the process -- eating healthier, saving money, carpooling -- they'll enjoy discovering nature too.
  • Everything they get now in mind and body, they'll re-create in their
  • relationship with nature.

 

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