hello, I'm Holden! and I'm running my first ever MARATHON (the legendary New York City Marathon, at that) to raise money to save the planet.

I've somehow been fortunate enough to have been chosen for NYRR's Team for Climate, whose ambitious and world-saving goal is to achieve net zero emissions by 2040; your donation directly supports NYRR's investment in carbon offsetting projects (like improved forest management) and carbon insetting (greenifying the organization's own events and operations). 

~not for nothing, this is a particular honor for me as a trans person, who number a shockingly small percentage (less than 0.1%) of NY marathon runners~

this is an easy way to participate in local efforts to make the world a better place, and inhabitable, for as long as it can be. in recent years especially we've seen the horrific global impacts of rising temperatures, glacial melt, and other climate change phenomena caused by the havoc we've wreaked on our planet and atmosphere, and it's as good a day as any to take action toward halting our steady march toward annihilation. (the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the next best time is today, etc.)

it's an inarticulable privilege to carry this mantle, as endeavors toward sustainability have, trite as it sounds, centered my life for as long as I can remember. I've been vegan for environmental reasons for more than ten years, and as a kid, my mom was an ardent advocate for the environment in our community, helping establish a vegetable garden at my elementary school, spearheading reforestation efforts in the nearby nature reservation where she was a dedicated volunteer, and participating in protests for decades against state violence and the costly wars of a military whose multi-trillion-dollar industry demonstrates catastrophic disregard for all life on earth. 

my mother died when I was 15, but I know how proud she would be to see me wearing the climate uniform in November. I will be running for her.

if you can, however you can, please consider helping me and the climate team reach our goal. for more information on this initiative, please visit NYRR Team for Climate.