A note from 1.5 Degrees of Peace:
We’re in a race for time with multiple existential threats to our planet. So it seemed natural when Mark approached us with his incredible idea to support our film project. In this in-depth interview, you’ll gain insight and inspiration from an exceptional human being who is challenging himself for the good of all. We hope you’ll support his campaign and come out to support him at the race on May 1st, 2022.
Name: Mark Shapland
Occupation: Associate Manager and Climate Lens Facilitator at the Independent Production Film Fund (IPF)
About Mark: He is a climate activist, runner and loves storytelling. At the IPF, Mark ties together his passion and activism by supporting emerging Canadian creators; helping to bring climate-conscious storytelling into the screenwriting process and best sustainability practices to the productions.
Where to donate: You can donate to Kasha’s film by going to this link. Under “Fund”, please click the dropdown menu and click 1.5 Degrees of Peace/The Global Sunrise Project. In the private message text box please write “Running 3.5 for 1.5” so that we know the donation is for this campaign. It is a Canadian tax-deductible donation and you will receive a receipt.
Find Out What Motivates Mark to Run for Climate Justice and Peace in Our Conversation below:
Tell us about the marathon and why you are using it as an opportunity to fundraise?
"After finishing the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race, October 17, 2021"
I ran my first two marathons during the pandemic (October 25th, 2020 and October 24th 2021), which meant they were run on my own, on routes I mapped out, and my results were uploaded virtually. Of course I had my family, my partner and friends support me from afar during training, offering words of encouragement and they showed up on race day with signs, water and gatorade. Primarily however, the training runs and the races themselves were running completely alone, as I tried to reach goals I set for myself. First to finish, then to run the distance under four hours.
The community aspect of running, the thrill of race day, running alongside thousands of others after months of hard work; coaches and fellow runners pushing you to be better on your hardest days was largely absent. It gave me time to think and figure out the purpose of why I run. It’s hours and hours away from your loved ones, towards a goal that is entirely set by you and only you benefit from it.
Whenever you sign up for a race, the first and last question the forms ask are, will you be fundraising for charity? In the past, I have donated to run certain in-person and virtual races, raising money for both youth mental health services and The Indian Residential School Survivors Society. However, with the return of in-person marathon racing in Toronto, and having the opportunity to share the love of running with others, I also felt it was time to use the platform I did have, to set a separate goal, one that isn’t for personal benefit, one that will hopefully take someone else closer to their goal and to bring climate justice and divestment from militarism into the running conversation.
Why are you passionate about climate justice? How are you taking action on the issue?
It’s a fact that those who contribute the least to climate change (the lowest GHG emitting countries), face the worst impacts of the crisis. Living in Canada, the 3rd highest GHG emitter per capita, means that we played a major role in contributing to this crisis and play an even bigger role in mitigating and helping other countries adapt to its impacts.
At the current rate of emissions (our business as usual), we have 5.5 years left, or until 2027, before we blow through the remainder of our global carbon budget. Being over budget in this scenario, means that the average global temperature will surpass 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, a tipping point which would mean catastrophic feedback loops beyond human control to reverse. The impacts of the climate crisis are already being felt both in Canada and around the world, and will only continue to worsen if this happens.
This is terrifying to think about, and feels like an overwhelmingly daunting task to take on. But, we must. And, we have the solutions. However, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach, and that means everyone, to push our leaders to take bold action and do what’s necessary.
I’m a climate activist, volunteering for a group called ClimateFast. The name originates from the groups initial “fast” for climate action on Parliament Hill, and the need to act on climate FAST. Our mission is to build and support a strong, informed civic movement that makes climate justice a top priority and motivates our elected officials to take decisive and urgent action. In all of our events and actions - budget deputation trainings, rallies, letter writing workshops, informational webcasts, kitchen table climate conversations - we tie justice into the equation. The food, housing, racial, health, and migrant crisis are interlinked with the climate crisis and we ensure that these issues are raised alongside environmental actions.
Finally, I often think about generational justice, the youth of today, (including Kasha, my younger sister, my friends and family who have young children) who will face the worst impacts of the crisis in the future. Especially for those who are just being born, they will grow up and live at a time when it is too late to take the actions we need to take now and in a world that is drastically different than the one we live in today.
What compelled you to choose 1.5 Degrees Of Peace as the project you’d like to support?
No one can quite say it better than Roger Ebert, “...the movies are like a machine that generates empathy”. Outside of being a runner and a climate activist, I work at the Independent Production Fund (IPF), a charity that finances the development and production of scripted short form series and the production of TV series, through the form of repayable advances and equity investments, in Canada. Cinema has been a place where I have been able to see my story, my experience and my feelings up on screen and also connect with other individuals, across time and space, who have vastly different lives than I do. It’s a place to go, to make me feel more connected to the world I’m living in and the people I meet. In my role at the IPF, I’m able to talk with and sometimes support lots of new and emerging voices within Canada, who are hoping to share their story with the world. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see the transformation of an idea on the page, to its fully realized potential on-screen.
Kasha’s desire, ambition and empathy to share both hers, and other’s, stories with the world is incredibly inspiring. Through her filmmaking, she represents so much of the potential of the medium. Her curiosity and aspirational attitude that she brought to The Sunrise Storyteller and now to 1.5 Degrees of Peace, posit an opportunity to not just add another document to the cannon of climate change cinema, but to lay bare the reality of the world we live in, and connect the peace and climate movements together in a way, that is so clearly vital right now. All from a youth perspective. Her films showcase the unlimited power that individuals possess to make change and what’s possible if we bring everyone together through peace and are united behind science. You can learn more about her motivation in this video posted below.
What makes running so special for you?
I mentioned earlier that the past two years running primarily alone, gave me time to think about why I run. I run to find peace. It’s time away from a phone, from a computer, a place to let my thoughts come and go, a place to let my anxieties about the world come and go. Eventually, and this helps the longer I go, I only focus on my breathing, putting one foot in front of another, and the environment I’m running in. When I return to work, or to volunteering, or to just living, I am calmer, and I can take more decisive actions to make change, as opposed to being paralyzed with fear.
This time, on May 1st, I’ll be attempting to run the Toronto Marathon in 3.5 hours (3 hours and 30 minutes) for 1.5 Degrees of Peace. I will try to beat my previous personal best (3:45:32) by 15 minutes and 32 seconds and more importantly, raise $3,500 for Kasha’s second documentary “1.5 Degrees of Peace”. I'm hoping this campaign will help the film get closer to its finish line.
Tell us the details of your run (when, where) and how others can support you in this effort?
The Toronto Marathon is on May 1st, 2022. The race will begin at 7:45am. The starting line is just north of Yonge-Sheppard and will end 42.195 km later in the exhibition grounds, at the corner of Princes’ Blvd and Ontario Drive.
The Toronto Marathon Map is available here. If you’d like to show-up at the end OR at any stage of the race with or without a sign, I would be hugely appreciative. I’ll be attempting to run at a pace of 4’59 every kilometer, beginning at 7:45am. Any piece of support will help motivate me towards the finish line.
How Can We Contribute?
Fundraising Goal $3,500.00 CAD
You can donate to Kasha’s film by going to this link. Under “Fund”, please click the dropdown menu and click 1.5 Degrees of Peace/The Global Sunrise Project. In the private message text box please write “Running 3.5 for 1.5” so that we know the donation is for this campaign. It is a Canadian tax-deductible donation and you will receive a receipt.
Thank you so much for your support!!
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