Running for Trees – NECIS Cross Country 2025
The NECIS cross country meet took over Amsterdam for a full day of running, mud and school rivalry. The Life Terra team joined to follow the races and to keep track of something a bit less visible than finish times: every lap completed will turn into trees planted in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.
It’s a simple system that works. Students run because they want to compete, because their school expects them to show up, or just because it’s tradition. Linking those laps to new trees gives the whole effort a concrete outcome, and it does it without turning sport into a sustainability lecture.
Throughout the day the atmosphere was steady and focused. Some students paced themselves, some sprinted like their lives depended on it, some just wanted to cross the line without collapsing. All of it counted toward the final planting tally.
Thanks to the runners, teachers, parents and volunteers who kept the event moving. The kilometres logged here will soon show up as young trees in real landscapes, which is the kind of scoreboard that actually matters.
