GoodGym x Earth Hour - We are running out of time... it's going to be 'panda'monium

What was this Earth Hour everyone keeps talking about?

Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature. Earth Hour 201 9 has been one of the largest Earth Hour events to date which saw Individuals, businesses and cities in 188 countries and territories worldwide join together to speak up for nature and inspire urgent action for the environment.

How is GoodGym Cardiff participating in Earth Hour?

To show our support for the Earth Hour initiative, GoodGym Cardiff and the Vale teamed up with Earth Hour to use running as a way to help the planet. Earlier in the day, GoodGym runners ran from Chapter Arts Centre to Plasnewydd Community Gardens to help with gardening at the community allotment. We were joined by leader of Cardiff Council, Huw Thomas and Jenny Rathbone, Member of the National Assembly for Wales. You can read the run report by clicking here

Now was time to show, for the second time of the day, how running can be used as a catalyst in tackling climate change and protecting the planet.

Creating Seedbombs and distributing them throughout Cardiff, and then meeting outside Cardiff Castle for the start of Earth Hour

At 5.30pm runners began gathering at Chapters Arts Centre. We even had Lexi, Paul, Danica and Matt join us from GoodGym Bristol! There was excitement and curiosity in the air as none of the runners had ever made seedbombs before. The weather was still glorious which meant Hannah was able to set up the seedbomb making workshop outside the front of Chapter Arts Centre. There was a table full of seedbomb making ingredients that included mud, water and seeds.

May the seed bomb workshop commence

At 6pm Hannah invited everyone over to the seedbomb making table. She gave everyone a lesson in 'how to make the perfect seedbomb' and explained the concept behind seed bombing. With this new knowledge about how to make seedbombs, everyone huddled together and began making seedbombs, mixing up the mud, clay and seeds, then squeezing them and rolling them into balls and putting them inside egg carton boxes. Gloves were available but nobody asked or needed them... Making seedbombs gloveless is definitely a better way to feel at one with nature. After 25 minutes of seedbomb making and over 30 cartons of seedbombs had been manufactured. 6 seedbombs per carton... that means we created in excess of 180 seedbombs.

The seedbombs look quite appetizing as they actually looked like protein balls... I wouldn't recommend eating one though!

Let's get quizzical

Before running to throw the seedbombs we had just enough time for a Earth Hour themed quiz... Earth hour just simply wouldn't be complete without a quiz! Runners gathered into two teams; Team 1 was called "Time is running out" and Team 2 was called "Pandamonium*

There were 36 questions and it was close when it came to the scores on the doors! Team Pandamonium scored a whopping 34 poins whilst team Time is Running Out scored an admirable 31. Wil voted for team Pandamonium as having the best team name so one of their points was for their team name! Danica and Andrew were both very clued up on their animal knowledge their team mates informed me.

Let's get warmed up!

Before running and seedbombing Ben got everyone warmed up by playing a variety of warm up games.

• We all played a game called evolution which involved runners evolving from the smallest living organism, an amoeba, to evolve to become Charles Darwin, an English naturalist whose scientific theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies
• We then played the funky seaweed game; There is one shark and everyone else is a fish... The fish have to avoid getting caught by the shark or else they became funky seaweed themselves.

Feeling funky, warm and evolved, it was now time to run for the planet, to distribute the seedbombs and show our resolve for climate change!

Seedbombers, arm yourselves!

Each runner took two cartons of seedbombs. Ben pointed out how suspicious it looked running with egg cartons... however, for a good cause, and to save the planet, we will happily look suspicious!

Let's get going!

Armed with Seedbombs, we began running the streets of Cardiff, throwing seeebombs in bare green spaces we passed.f

WE SPELT OUT EARTH HOUR IN SPARKLERS!

The last challenge of the night was to spell out 'Earth Hour' using sparklers. This had to be well coordinated to ensure the letters were clearly defined and, most importantly, spelled correctly. Dan gave us all sparklers and then spent a further 10 minutes explaining to each of us what we had to do. We only had one opportunity to get it right... the pressure was on.

To create the shot we had to spell out the letters of Earth Hour using the sparklers for 1 minute.

The proof was in the pudding.... We gathered around Dan's camera to see whether what we had created was a masterpiece... or a flop! We are pleased to say that the Earth Hour photo was a success!

Then it was time to run back to Chapter for some live music

Toby Hay and David Ian Roberts were performing in the Chapter Arts Centre concourse during Earth Hour so we ran back at a rate of knots to enjoy their performance.

A big thank you to all GoodGym runners and the WWF, the organisers of Earth Hour.

A big thank you also goes to Dan Green for taking the professional photos - These will be added over the coming days, and Hannah who facilitated the Seedbomb making workshop.