GoCardless' Race to Nature

At GoCardless, we are committed to not only reducing our environmental impact but creating a positive change for communities and the natural world. 

This summer, we are challenging our employees to Race To Nature - where every KM they walk, run, push, cycle or swim will not only have a positive impact on their own wellbeing but will also count towards projects that also contribute to the wellbeing of the natural world. 

Collectively, we are aiming to reach 15,000 KM - the distance from London to Cop27 in Cairo - over a 10-week period. When we reach our target we will: 

• Plant 3000 Trees with Rewards.Earth and The Green Task Force 

• Protect rainforest elephants for 20 days with Rebalance Earth 

• Train 10 teachers to deliver the Innovate for Climate courses in Schools with Apps For Good

• Restore 5 kelp forests with Green the UK 

Why? 

I was delighted to be invited to Cop27, however, the emissions produced by travelling to one event didn’t align with GoCardless’ net-zero action plan. Instead, we decided to use it as an opportunity to educate others on biodiversity and climate change.

Many of us are aware of the threat of climate change and the need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions but may be unfamiliar with the role of nature in this and the importance of biodiversity to humanity. We are all interconnected with nature, and dependent upon many of the ecosystem services it provides us. For example, did you know that whales absorb 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide in their lifetime, but also boost phytoplankton populations - which in turn - produces 50% of our oxygen and absorbs 40% of our co2 each year? Or, that bees pollinate the crops that feed 90% of the world - a service that would cost $100s of billions each year if it were an industry? 

Nature and biodiversity are under threat from climate change, pollution, habitat loss, overexploitation and invasive species, with global biodiversity declining faster than ever before. Since 1970, there has been on average a 70% decline in the populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. It is thought that one million animal and plant species - almost a quarter of the global total - are threatened with extinction.

Join us and get involved in Race to Nature

Would you like to join us and set up your own Race to Nature? The more companies taking action, the bigger the positive impact! If you’d like to start your own Race to Nature campaign, just sign up here for a free toolkit and handy social assets.

Watch our Zoom session to find out about how you set up your own campaign.

Some of the other organisations already joining us include; Tech Zero, IEMA, Ailuna, and Purple Creative Studio.

Support the Race to Nature

Donate to our projects by scanning the QR codes below. Funds are transferred directly to the project/charity, which have control over the monies donated

Hear from some of the causes GoCardless is supporting

Hear from Jim Holland from Rewards.Earth who trains and employs ex-service personnel in environmental services. Through Race to Nature, GoCardless will plant 3,000 trees with Rewards Earth when we hit our target.

You can also hear from Charlotte Pepperell from Human Forest - a shared e-bike platform that uses renewable energy and an electric fleet - who we've partnered with to give GoCardless colleagues zero-carbon transport in London for the Race to Nature.

Our Progress

Visit our sustainability hub 

You can stay up to date with GoCardless’ climate action progress, activities and latest reports - including Payments, Plastic, People and Planet 2022 report - in our new sustainability hub.