Brighters’ Run4Earth marathon in Shopnopuri Kalyan Sangstha, urging climate action, pollution control, better waste management and protection of Dhaka’s shrinking green spaces.
A total of 300 young people, climate activists and ordinary citizens joined a 7.5-kilometre climate awareness marathon in Agargaon on Saturday, calling for a more sustainable city as part of World Environment Day 2026 events in the Bangladeshi capital.
The event, titled Run4Earth, was organised by youth group Brighters as an unusual public initiative to promote environmental protection and help save the planet.
Organisers said the marathon was not just a race but a collective declaration from the younger generation that they are ready to work for the protection of the Earth, take leadership and bring positive change.
Former Dhaka North City Corporation administrator Mohammad Ejaz attended the programme and encouraged the participants, alongside Nazmul Ahsan, Youth and Climate Resilience Lead at ActionAid Bangladesh, and other distinguished guests.
C3ER,Swapnapuri Kallyan Songstha and Volunteer for Earth joined the event as strategic partners.
Praising the youth-led initiative, Ejaz said such a distinctive effort to protect the environment and save the planet was extremely important.
“To protect our city and environment, young people must come forward in this way. Through such initiatives in public spaces, we have to claim public places,” he said.
Nazmul Ahsan said creative initiatives like this would increase awareness among young people and encourage them to take action to protect the environment and the planet.
The founder of Brighters explained the main objective of the arrangement, saying one or two people alone could not save the planet from disasters such as extreme heatwaves, floods, droughts and cyclones, or from energy insecurity.
He said the event was meant to send a message that everyone must act together.
The organisers said the June 13 event, held around World Environment Day, aimed to move beyond conventional awareness campaigns by engaging communities through practical and participatory experiences.
They said the programme also raised a collective voice for restoring the city’s ecosystem, with an emphasis on controlling pollution in Dhaka, improving waste management and protecting green spaces.
