As Mina Guli passes through Cowra today she hopes the sound of her runners on the pavement herald a call to communities across the world to join together and save water.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With NSW in the midst of a drought, her message could not be more timely.
For many, running a marathon is a lifelong ambition but for Mina, the marathon, a grueling 42.1km run, is much more.
That’s why the former lawyer and investment banker has started the #RunningDry campaign.
To highlight the cause, Mina is running more than just a marathon, she is running 100 marathons in 100 days, taking her message to destinations around the world.
She will pass through Cowra today, Tuesday, January 15 as part of her journey.
Ms Guli said she fell into her role as an advocate for the conservation of water by accident.
“A project opportunity arose when I was working at the Sydney Futures Exchange,” she said ahead of her visit to Cowra.
“Nobody else wanted to take it, and as the newest member of the team, it fell into my lap.
“From my work at Peony, I got the chance to be nominated to join the World Economic Forum's community of Young Global Leaders (YGL). It was through this community that I was introduced to the problem of 'invisible water' - the shocking amount of water needed to make everyday items like clothing and food - and its link to a global water crisis unfolding across the world.
“My life changed at that moment and I decided I would go on to make it my life's work to help solve the water crisis,” she said.
Ms Guli launched #RunningDry in November 2018, with her first run as part of the New York City Marathon.
“I took on a challenge issued by me to the YGL community to create a stunt that would capture the world’s media attention and help to spread the message,” she said.
“My ultra-running campaign for water was born, I had chosen to do the unthinkable, running 100 marathons in 100 days around the world.
“My runs are a call to the world to join together to save water. The water we need to live, to survive, is running out,” she said.
Ms Guli said her journey had been an eye-opening one.
“The hardest thing for me has definitely been realising the scale and depth of the water crisis,” she said.
“Hearing its impact from local communities, running past mounds of plastic beside rivers and roads, witnessing wells run dry, talking to farmers about dwindling water supplies, seeing people walk down the street with takeaway containers wrapped in multiple layers of plastic and understanding I’m just one person trying to make a difference and seeing the enormity of the challenge in front of me.
“The best part of my journey has definitely been meeting the incredibly inspiring people on the ground battling to make a difference - the true water heroes. That there are people helping to make a difference.”
Ms Guli said that people attitudes we everything when it comes to water waste.
“We, as a people, are incredible and if we put our efforts together towards this we can definitely make a change,” she said.
“We hold the power and with this power, we can make government make all of the necessary changes. We can do this.”
Ms Guli said there was a simple list of things people could do to help conserve water: limiting showers to 2 minutes, putting a large bucket in the shower to collect water, turning off taps whilst washing hands and brushing teeth, fixing all water leaks no matter how small, converting your garden to more water efficient plants and installing a water tank in your garden and connect it to your gutter system around your house to collect all rainwater.
To follow and support Ms Guli’s journey and find out how you can make a difference in solving the water crisis visit www.minaguli.com
READ MORE:
