My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions
1
First Name
Last Name
Pronouns
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Initiative Title
ROOT RUN LONDON
Lead Organization Name
Givfunds
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2018
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.instagram.com/adarshetty_?igsh=bnQ2MjNqdDBmNm40
Initiative Stage
Idea (You have a solid concept and are hoping to get started in the future)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Environment & Sustainability
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Making london Greener and a sustainable place to live
Challenge Focus: What topic does your initiative most directly relate to?
Enabling climate-resilient participation
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
RootRun London is an app and social media initiative that encourages youth to track physical activities like running or cycling to earn "planet points" for tree planting and local green projects. By gamifying physical movement, the app aims to transform everyday activities into efforts for a greener city.
Your approach: How are you addressing the problem outlined above? How are you using the power of sport and physical activity to build awareness, shift behavior, and enable sustainable participation for all in response to the climate crisis? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Build MVP app (activity tracking + tree calculator) Secure partnership with Trees for Cities (planting & integration) Recruit 500–1,000 youth in 2–3 deprived boroughs (schools, estates, clubs) Launch beta: track movement → earn trees → partner plants 500+ trees Measure & report: trees planted, activity increase, cooling/air benefits Budget: £10k–£50k pilot (grant covers trees, dev, marketing)
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
RootRun London turns young people's daily sport and activity into real tree planting across the city's hottest, flood-prone, and polluted neighbourhoods. These trees lower temperatures by 2–8°C, reduce pitch flooding, clean the air, and create safer green spaces for kids to play year-round. With equity-weighted rewards and youth-led ambassadors, the app closes the 3x inactivity gap in deprived boroughs and builds a cooler, greener, fairer London through the power of movement.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in raising climate awareness, shifting behaviors, or reducing environmental impact or harm? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had¡, and/or what impact do you envision having in the future?
turns young people's daily sport and activity into real tree planting across the city's hottest, and polluted neighbourhoods.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
RootRun London is a gamified social initiative designed to get young Londoners moving for the planet. By tracking runs or cycles via the app, users earn "planet points" that fund local environmental projects. The initiative focuses on equity in deprived boroughs, turning physical exercise into tangible climate action: The Reward: Every 10 km covered or 5 hours of activity triggers the planting of a tree. The Impact: These efforts combat the urban heat island effect, improve drainage, filter air pollution, and build safer, greener play spaces. By blending fitness with climate awareness, RootRun transforms daily movement into a collective effort to build a healthier, more sustainable London.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Adarsh Shetty has vast experience in sports, playing professional football and training people recovering from injury. Kaushal Ishwar has wide expireinc ein building business and managing teams
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your organization up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
1. The Impact-First (Strategic) RootRun London gamifies youth fitness to drive urban reforestation. By converting activity into "planet points," the initiative funds tree-planting in deprived boroughs to improve air quality and climate resilience, fostering environmental equity and long-term health. 2. The Active & Energetic (Promotional) Turn your sweat into shade with RootRun! 🏃♂️ Every 10km you run or 5 hours you cycle earns "planet points" to plant trees in London's high-need areas. Join the movement to cool our streets and filter pollution—one workout at a time. 3. The Succinct & Modern (Punchy) RootRun London: Move more, plant faster. 🌳 Track: Log 10km to earn "planet points." Impact: We plant a tree in an underserved borough. Result: Cleaner air, cooler streets, and healthier youth.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/ to grow.
Build MVP app (activity tracking + tree calculator) Secure partnership with Trees for Cities (planting & integration) Recruit 500–1,000 youth in 2–3 deprived boroughs (schools, estates, clubs) Launch beta: track movement → earn trees → partner plants 500+ trees Measure & report: trees planted, activity increase, cooling/air benefits Budget: £10k–£50k pilot (grant covers trees, dev, marketing)
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details (LINK).
App Development & Tech (40–50%) Build/refine MVP: activity tracking, tree calculator, live map, heat/pollution routing, offline mode. Hire freelance developer or small team for iOS/Android polish. Tree Planting & Partners (25–35%) Direct payment to Trees for Cities for 3,000–5,000 trees (£5–10/tree incl. site prep, guards, watering, 3-year monitoring). Covers urban planting in priority deprived boroughs. Youth Engagement & Outreach (15–20%) Recruit/train paid youth ambassadors from target areas. Run free school/estate sessions, pilot events, marketing (flyers, social, community outreach). Operations & Impact Measurement (10–15%) Admin (legal, GDPR compliance), data tools (GLA/TfL APIs), evaluation (activity surveys, tree survival reports, cooling metrics). Small contingency for testing.
If you selected “Other”, please specify below.
