6/10 - Gorilla Marketing in Brussels
- Runner: Simon Isaacs
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Currently Resides: Kigali, Rwanda
- Language(s): English, French, Spanish & Italian (fluent), Portuguese & Norwegian (basic)
- Family:
- Statement: “At a personal level, Blue Planet Run provides a rare opportunity to integrate my love for running with my commitment to improve the lives of the poor, disenfranchised and marginalized around the world.” – Simon Isaacs, 2007
Armed with a roll of Blue Planet Run stickers I took to the streets of Brussels – running from the city’s outskirts into the Place de Broukere in the center of the city. With just 7 miles left to run and with ample time to spare, I stopped along the way to stick those along the route –children with their parents, teenagers smoking in cafes, men and women pumping gas… nobody was safe. With each sticker, I would stop for a few seconds to share our mission and the message: “we run for water.” Certainly, these drive-bys (or run-bys) were far too short and a bit too silly to generate massive awareness on a serious issue – but if I reached just a handful of the 100+ people I “stuck” en route – it was well worth it.
Coming into the city-center, I was greeted with a very warm reception in the Place de Broukere where I handed off to Laurel Dudley, took a few photos with the local media and local Dow staff, and headed off for a Belgian waffle…
>From Antwerp, Netherlands – happy trails.
Hurricane Dean
Yesterday morning, I woke up to CNN’s talking heads warning of Hurricane Dean’s destructive path toward the Caribbean.
Activism + Water
By the late 80’s, AIDS had developed into a full fledged crisis. Despite the rapid spread of the disease, government officials remained quiet.
Venture Philanthropy
At the eclectic Buck’s diner in Woodside, Bay area power-brokers meet over stacks of pancakes to discuss what they hope will be the next big idea.
Make It Happen
We made it across Europe, Russia, and Asia… over 10,000 miles, one stride at a time; a truly significant accomplishment, no doubt.
Water and Climate Change in Mongolia
Fueled by the dramatic landscape before me, I have found my second wind in Mongolia.
Water & Tourism – The Great Baikal Trail
The internet café in Irkutsk was jammed with backpackers gripping their Lonely Planet Guidebooks and emailing home stories adventures through Russia.
Siberia’s Ghost Towns
“In Russia we have two problems, fools and bad roads” said my guide, Yuiana as the car swerved right and left through a mine-field of deep potholes.
(Hyrdo)Power to the People
Depicted on the back of my 10 ruble bill is the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Dam which lies upstream of the central Russian city of Krasnoyarsk (where I am now).
Ode to Mayonnaise
Waking up in the morning, I find you there at the breakfast table, A
dollop atop by canned peas and corn.
At lunch, you glisten off of my plate of meat dumplings. You line my
The BPR Petri Dish
I feel like I’ve been running on a treadmill through Western Siberia. My heart pumps, my legs move – but the horizon, though beautiful, goes unchanged.