RESOURCES FOR RACE DIRECTORS

Council for Responsible Sport Supports Chicago Park District’s Newly Updated Green Event Guidelines For 2012 Permit Applicants 

Athletic event permits for large events require certification from Council for Responsible Sport to achieve “Certified Green Event” status.

January 23, 2012 – Portland, OR: Chicago Park District officials recently announced a few updates to their Green Event Guidelines for 2012. While park permit applicants will not be required to become Certified Green Events, they are encouraged to do so. And, for large athletic events seeking Certified Green Event recognition from the Chicago Park District, third-party certification from the nonprofit Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) will be required. 

“The Chicago Park District works to incorporate green friendly practices in every aspect of its operations.  We are excited to partner with the Council for Responsible Sport,” said Michael P. Kelly, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO. “This new certification standard complements our green event guidelines and could potentially make large sporting events held at Park District venues more sustainable.” 

“I applaud the Chicago Park District for continuing to evolve their Certified Green Event program,” said Keith Peters, Executive Director of the Council for Responsible Sport. “We are honored to have the Council’s certification standards included in the Park District’s Green Event Guidelines for 2012. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon and Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle have both achieved CRS Certification in recent years, and I look forward to other large athletic events in Chicago joining the Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle on the growing list of sporting events pursuing green event certification.” 

Peters went on to say: “The significance of the step the Chicago Park District has taken should not be underestimated. To my knowledge, Chicago is the first municipality in the United States to incorporate a third-party certification standard into its event permitting process. Of course, I’m hopeful that other municipalities will follow Chicago’s lead.” 

The Council for Responsible Sport provides an independent, comprehensive certification for event directors to incorporate environmental and socially responsible initiatives into their events while informing consumers about events that adhere to higher standards of sustainability. CRS Certified events range in size from the ParalympicsGB Training Camp at the University of Bath in the UK, with some 150 athletes participating, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers. To date, 35 different events have achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over 565,000 athletes in the process.

The Council for Responsible Sport’s certification standards have been developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. CRS Certification is modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System, which certifies buildings and materials according to resource conservation and energy efficiency criteria. 

For more information about Chicago Park District Green Event Guidelines, please refer to: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. A complete listing of CRS Certified events can be found at: http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/certification/certified-events/

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About the Council for Responsible Sport:

Founded in 2007 to empower sporting event producers to incorporate sustainably into their events, the Council for Responsible Sport is about inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. The mission of CRS is to partner with stakeholders in the sports industry as catalysts for sustainable change. From half marathons to football games to lacrosse and snowboarding, the Council believes athletes and spectators alike have the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt sustainable practices.

In addition to administering a certification program for sports events, CRS also offers peer-to-peer learning communities and access to online tools, case studies and strategic partnerships to assist leaders and businesses actively engaged in the sports industry.