Meet Eric, an electrical engineer by day and an ultramarathon runner with a philosopher’s heart in his free time. This isn’t your typical weekend warrior jogging around the park, though. Eric’s idea of a “casual run” involves traversing hundreds of kilometers through the remote wilds of Cambodia, pushing his physical and mental limits while embracing the beauty of our planet. But Eric’s passion for the environment goes beyond scenic routes and fresh air. Working in the renewable energy sector, he’s on the front lines of the clean energy transition, building the battery systems that will power a sustainable future.
Now, he’s combining his love of running with his commitment to climate action, taking on two epic stage races to raise funds and awareness. His first race just concluded and his next will be in April in Uzbekistan. Driven by a deep understanding of the impacts of climate change – gleaned from years of dedicated study and a mindful lifestyle – Eric is determined to make a difference, one stride and one solar panel at a time. He’ll be relying on more than just his physical endurance; he’ll be fueled by the knowledge that every step he takes supports organizations fighting for a healthier planet for his children and generations to come.
If you want to support Eric, you can donate here. Read on to hear what keeps him running for our planet!
Climate Ride (CR): What specific experiences in your undergraduate and postgraduate studies solidified your passion for environmental sustainability?
Eric Sweetman (ES): During my undergrad in Electrical Engineering I studied power systems that utilized several different type of generation sources. Also diving into each different renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. These coupled together provided me the insight into how we could remove fossil fuels from our grid system, this would reduce our overall carbon footprint. During my post grad, I took this information I learned about reducing our carbon footprint in our grid system and had the opportunity to apply this on a global scale. Working with other post grads from across the globe provided me with a unique insight beyond the United States.
CR: What motivated you to choose a pescatarian diet, and how has it impacted your family’s lifestyle?
ES: The original thing that led me to this lifestyle was a genetic health condition, Heart Disease. As I went through my undergrad and postgrad, I learned about the impact our food source has on the environment, this became my new reason for the lifestyle and why I am still doing it today. I have educated my children on the impacts of the climate change and how what we eat plays a major role. For them they enjoy eating a pescatarian diet, they don’t follow it all the time but they do prefer it. For reference my kids are 8 and 13.
CR: What are your hopes for the future regarding your children and the planet they will inherit?
ES: I hope that we are able to do better and educate the world on how our daily impacts affect climate change. We can’t change what has already been done but we can start to curve it from other efforts and I hope that we can all step aside and see this. I do feel with the amount of discussion around climate change that we will see future generations pushing for more change as they get older and are able to vote.
CR: How does your interest in philosophy connect to your passion for climate action?
ES: Haha I love this question, so I always admired Philosophers and wanted to be one. For me it has provided me with critical thinking, that is the main reason for philosophy. So for me as I was working through my schooling, I always applied philosophy to my work whenever it made sense. It is funny what the ancient philosophers know and how their lessons are just as relevant today as they were during their own time.
CR: What type of renewable energy projects do you work on as an electrical engineer?
ES: I work on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). My company Jupiter Power is an IPP, which means we design, build, own and operate our large scale batteries.
CR: How do you see your professional skills contributing to the fight against climate change?
ES: We do a lot of out reach to the communities that we work in and though it may be small we are educating these individuals on the energy transition.
CR: How do you balance the demands of your career with your passion for ultra-running and environmental advocacy?
ES: Haha, melting the candle in a pot… For me it’sall about priorities, I need my work to survive so I tend to work around my work schedule. This means I am waking up a few hours early or training after work. I also travel a lot for work, so I am always scoping out running trails in the cities and areas I find myself in. Running is a priority and so I make it one. As far as environmental advocacy, I do this throughout my running, my career and my social life. I am always talking about it and helping to educate others on it.
CR: Can you tell us more about the runs you are taking on?
ES: The runs that I will be participating in what are called Stage races. The ones that I will be in are running roughly 250k over 6 days through the remote regions of Cambodia and Uzbekistan. Each day we wake up in a camp site and we run to the next camp site. We have to bring our own food and supplies for the event.
CR: You’re planning to run stage races in Uzbekistan and Cambodia – what draws you to those locations, and will you be incorporating any sustainable practices into your travels?
ES: I will be completing these races solely on my pescatarian diet, not that this is a huge impact it still speaks to a larger audience that believes you need red meat in order to be an athlete. I do need to fly to these areas and so I try to find flights that less emissions but it is still pollution. I will also be taking this time to educate the other participants on what I do and the passions that I hold. I feel this is the largest impact because as I meet new people and I am able to continue to grow my perspective of others around the world, I am able to better educate others on a holistic basis.
CR: What are your personal goals for these runs?
ES: Just want to finish, this always my goal. It would be great to hit some PRs and what not but I really just want to enjoy the moment and be present. These races are once in lifetime events for most people. I am excited for the opportunity to meet others like myself and hopefully create lasting bonds. I am not big on records or competition, I want to have a good time and enjoy the journey.
CR: What aspects of the runs are you most looking forward to?
ES: This one gave me goosebumps, I love running for many reasons. We can always point to the physical benefits gained from running and I do believe these are important. The aspects that I truly appreciate about running would have to be the connects you make with others and the mental toughness you gain from pushing yourself. It is a wonderful experience to be suffering in a group of strangers during a run and to cheer for one another at the finish line. I have made some great connections throughout my runs and have so many great memories of pure strangers supporting others. As far as the mental aspects, when you think you can’t push yourself anymore and you go that extra mile or ten. Nothing can get in your way. You gain a sense of calm and peace in a way, I see it in may daily life. Things that seemed so big are just pebbles on the road now. Running ultras and long distance provides you with ample time with just your thoughts and so you tend to reflect on everything in your life.
CR: What message do you hope to convey through your participation with Climate Ride on these epic runs?
ES: I hope to spread that even through it seems like an impossible challenge (ultras, climate change, stage races), we need to trust our training, our abilities and others around to get through it because we can if we want too.
CR: Why did you choose Climate Generation, Climate One, and the Union of Concerned Scientists as your beneficiary organizations?
ES: I wanted to hit many different sectors of the climate action, so by picking these I was able to get everything covered from the top scientists to the next generations.
CR: How can people best support you?
ES: Of course if you can donate that would be great. If you can’t just being able to spread my word to others would super helpful, this will not only generate funds but also spread my message and hopefully inspire others to learn more about climate change and our impacts.
If you want to support Eric, you can make a donation here.