At North Hertfordshire College, we’re not just invested in the future of our learners’ careers – we also care about the future of the planet. That’s why our Supported Studies team have been taking part in Earthruns’ 1% Club campaign, an initiative that rewards members for being active by planting a tree in their name!
Julie Tribe, Course Team Leader in North Hertfordshire College’s Supported Studies department, first joined the campaign in January 2023. By being active daily and taking part in the monthly bonus challenges, which range from taking a selfie with a tree to nature scavenger hunts, Julie had 393 trees planted in her name in 12 months – an amazing achievement.
Now, Julie has inspired other members of staff from across NHC’s Supported Studies programmes to get stuck in and make their own positive impact. We spoke to Julie to find out more about her involvement in the project, and she said:
“I was already a member of Earthruns and regularly completed the run challenges set by Tash [Earthruns’ founder]. I support her ethos and wanted to do my part for sustainability and the environment. It made sense to be making a difference to the environment by doing something that I love and do daily anyway. The Supported Studies department decided to join the 1% Club as a group as their pledge towards being more sustainable and supporting the College on its sustainability journey. We feel it’s a lovely initiative for the department to complete together, and one that is beneficial to everyone on the planet.
“I’m hoping to get the whole college involved by leading on the initiative and cascading out the ideas to other departments. I want to provide a community space where like-minded people can all help and support each other to stay fit, get fitter, or just move a bit more than they currently do, all whilst supporting the environment through Earthruns’ initiative. I am hoping this will lead to greater mental and physical health and wellbeing, and greater cross-college connections.”
We can’t wait to see how many trees our Supported Studies team plants through their activity!