News flash: It’s an effort to eliminate single-use plastic and paper cups in road races

A hydration cup made of wheat straw is included in the loot bags of the 1K, 3K, 5K, and 10K runners of Tzu Chi Foundation’s Charity Run for Education on July 21 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

Light, handy, collapsible, and connected to a lid with a carabiner, the wheat straw cup is Tzu Chi’s effort at eliminating waste—specifically, the thousands of single-use plastic and paper cups that litter race courses. Post-road race garbage ends up in landfills that emit air pollution and gases, contributing to climate change.

But what exactly is wheat straw? It’s the stem and leaves of a wheat plant.

After harvesting the grain, wheat straw is considered as agricultural waste and burned—until someone discovered its many uses: from compost, animal bedding, and feed to materials to make paper, biofuel, and building materials.

Biodegradable, sustainable, and durable, wheat straw is regarded as an effective, Earth-friendly alternative to plastic, and is in fact being used to produce tableware, cutlery, packaging, and textile for clothing and upholstery.

As a material for drinking cups, wheat straw is deemed safe, given that it comes from nature and is chemical- and toxin-free. Still, it pays to pick wheat straw drinking cups that are certified food-safe by the Food and Drug Administration or Biodegradable Products Institute. Also, it’s recommended to clean the cup thoroughly with mild soap and water before use, and avoid exposing it to high temperatures like piping-hot liquids or the microwave oven to prevent its potential degradation.

Participants of the Tzu Chi Charity Run for Education will also receive a runner’s shirt (for 1K) and singlet (for 3K, 5K, and 10K) in a loot bag made from recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET), a fabric processed out of single-use plastic bottles.

Proceeds from the charity run will help sustain the scholars under Tzu Chi’s Educational Assistance Program. Since Tzu Chi Philippines’ founding almost 30 years ago, over 13,000 disadvantaged elementary, high school, and college youth have benefited from a scholarship that covers various school expenses and allowances.

Education is one of four main missions of the foundation established by Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen in her native Taiwan in 1966. In the Philippines as well as in Tzu Chi chapters around the world, volunteers have extended compassion and relief in charity, medicine, and humanistic culture. International relief, bone marrow donation, environmental protection, and community volunteerism are Tzu Chi’s other advocacies.

Let your run on July 21 make a difference in a scholar’s life. Run for kindness. Support Tzu Chi’s scholars. Register NOW!

📝: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/88678/tzu-chi-charity-run

NOTE: Processing and admin fees apply.

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