The Marathon Forest is richer by 36 new trees

In anticipation of the 36th Belgrade Marathon, 36 new saplings were planted today in the Marathon Forest in the Friendship Park at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The saplings were donated by the Secretariat for Environmental Protection and the Belgrade Greenery Company. Present at the planting were Ivana Vilotijević, Secretary of the Secretariat for Environmental Protection, Nataša Šišaković, Executive Director of Belgrade Greenery, and Darko Habuš, representing the Belgrade Marathon.

The “Marathon Forest” project was created with the idea of raising awareness among marathon participants and the wider public about the importance of protecting and improving the environment. The Marathon Forest is also the result of a very successful long-term partnership with the city of Belgrade, the biggest partner of the Belgrade Marathon.

“On this occasion, I would like to thank Ivana Vilotijević and the Secretariat for Environmental Protection, as well as Belgrade Greenery, who donated 36 new saplings that were planted today in the Marathon Forest – which aims to improve the microclimate in this part of the Friendship Park. Social responsibility and behavior have been part of the Belgrade Marathon’s business policy for many years, in areas such as relations with the community, environmental protection, and promotion and implementation of humanitarian campaigns, promoting the importance of help and donations to individuals or groups in need,” said Darko Habuš, director of the Belgrade Marathon.

The Belgrade Marathon openly discusses all topics of importance to the running community and society as a whole. One of these topics is undoubtedly air pollution as a real challenge facing large cities, which has a significant impact on all people involved in running and outdoor physical activity.

“One of the ways we are addressing this challenge is by increasing the number and quality of green areas in our city, and that is why we launched the initiative to plant the Marathon Forest, which will be richer by new saplings every year. We must think about the needs of future generations and the environment we leave them,” said Darko Habuš, director of the Belgrade Marathon.

Ivana Vilotijević, Secretary of the Secretariat for Environmental Protection, commented on this beautiful tradition that the city of Belgrade and the Belgrade Marathon are now cultivating together. The common goal is to continue in the same direction in the years to come, and for the citizens of Belgrade to have a brand new forest to enjoy.

Last year, the idea of creating a marathon forest was initiated. Now, a year later, we find ourselves at the same place where we are increasing the number of seedlings by 36 for the 36th anniversary of the Belgrade Marathon. Symbolically, this year we are renewing the forest with an additional 36 seedlings. We expect to continue this tradition in the coming years, so in 10 years we will have 46 more seedlings, then 47… and a marathon forest will emerge. This forest will not only be enjoyed by those of us who participated in its creation, but most importantly, our fellow citizens will also enjoy spending time with their families there. Of course, for it to survive, the responsibility is not only in the hands of the City of Belgrade, the Secretariat for Environmental Protection, and the Public Utility Company, but it is the responsibility of all of us who will pass through here and watch it grow. In order for us to enjoy it, we must all participate and show that we are responsible and love our environment,” emphasized Secretary Ivana Vilotijević.