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 RESOURCES FOR RACE DIRECTORS |
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Major
environmental effort underway for Honda LA Marathon
Race is one of only seven marathons nationwide
to achieve certification in 2009
LOS ANGELES – March 10, 2010 – Organizing a major
marathon involves a mountain of details, and creates a
mountain of trash.
The 2010 Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss,
however, is finding ways to reduce the environmental
impact of the event and its 2009 efforts earned it
certification from the Council for Responsible Sport
(CRS), based on scoring on its six categories of waste,
climate, equipment and materials, community and
outreach, health promotion and innovation. It is one of
only seven marathons nationally to receive
certification.
The Marathon worked with Athletes for a Fit Planet to
create and execute the plan for certification
qualification. The highlights from the 2009 effort
included:
• Diversion of about 50% of the 10 tons of solid waste
created by the race away from landfills to recycling and
waste-to-energy uses, resulting in less than 0.5 lbs of
landfill waste per participant. The thousands of wax
paper cups collected from the course were turned into
clean energy.
• Introduction of a “virtual goodie bag” that
saved the use of 50,000 plastic bags and printing of
about 1,000,000 pieces of literature. Participants
received an email with product and service promotions
that they could redeem online.
• Reduction of the carbon footprint of the race by
using bio-deisel-powered generators and encouraging
participants to ride-share or use public transportation
to get to the race.
• Partnership with Heal the Bay to raise awareness and
funding for programs to clean up Santa Monica Bay.
• Partnership with Students Run L.A., a program to
encourage fitness among youth, which is part of the CRS
social responsibility category of Health Promotion.
• Provided “green’ portable toilets, which
replaced toxic chemicals used in the tanks with
eco-friendly, non-toxic chemicals.
"The LA Marathon did a phenomenal job to green the
race in 2009 by earning certification to the rigorous
industry standard administered by the Council for
Responsible Sport," said Bruce Rayner, Chief Green
Officer, Athletes for a Fit Planet. "The race
organizers are committed to making sustainability a core
element of the identity of the race again this
year."
Additional efforts being channeled into the 2010 race
include, but are not limited to:
• Recycling of runner’s gear-check bags and mylar
blankets at the Finish Line Beach Party.
• Composting of food waste from the pre-race Win
Forever Inspiration Dinner.
• Printing of some promotional literature using
soy-based inks.
• Awarding of reusable water bottles for age-group
winners.
• Free bike valet area at the Finish Line Beach Party
(located at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway) and at Ocean and
Arizona Avenues in Santa Monica from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
raceday.
A specially-recruited team of Eco Volunteers will be
assisting with the effort, both at the LA Marathon Expo
at Dodger Stadium and around the finish-line area in
Santa Monica, encouraging recycling packaging materials
used by vendors and collecting recyclable materials from
runners.
CRS formally launched the standard in 2009 and the
Marathon was one of the first events nationally to
commit to certification.
"Any event of our size, with 25,000 participants
and more than a half-million spectators, is going to
generate some environmental impact," noted LA
MARATHON LLC creative director Peter Abraham. "But
with some careful planning and an eye toward reducing
waste wherever we can, we can make a difference and
we’re committed to doing so."
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