All the News That’s Fit

8.25.08 Athletes for a Fit Planet is pleased to announce it is working with the EDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon to support its efforts to go green.

The inaugural race takes place October 26, 2008, in Birmingham, England. Billed as the ‘Race Against Climate Change,’ the EDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon marks the first non-US race that FitPlanet is supporting. UK-based professional triathlete Toby Radcliffe, FitPlanet’s Senior European Consultant, is working with the City of Birmingham and EDF Energy as the Race Sustainability Director.

For the official EDDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon announcement about FitPlanet’s involvement click here.

By Bruce Rayner

The Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon has a lot going for it. In early October the weather is usually cool and crisp making for good running weather. The fast, flat course is perfect for setting a PR. And San Jose is within easy reach of Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Napa Valley wine country, so there’s a lot to do before and after the race. Then of course there are the bands – 14 in all – one every mile along the course plus one at the finish to keep you pumped up.

But there’s another reason why FitPlanet likes the RNRSJ: its strong environmental ethic. In fact, it’s one of 30 races profiled on the Runner’s World GreenTeam website. The list includes the Austin, Des Moines, Portland, San Francisco and St. Louis marathons, among other races. All are doing at least a few things to be more environmentally responsible. RNRSJ’s a standout because it’s doing more than just a few things.

The list of RNRSJ’s green initiatives includes a healthy dose of the three R’s:
• Reduce
o All participants are provided with information encouraging them to use public transportation.
o The expo, start, finish and concert site are within one mile of each other so there’s no need for a car.
o All early confirmation packets are emailed, saving 15,000 packets from being printed.
• Reuse
o All extra food is donated to a local food bank.
o Soles4Souls collects “gently” used shoes at the expo and finish line and donates them to those in need.
• Recycle
o Plastic and cardboard are recycled at the finish line.
o All plastic bottles used on-course at the aid stations are recycled.

The driving force behind RNRSJ’s green efforts is Elizabeth O’Brien, the race’s general manager. O’Brien is a seven-year veteran of San Diego-based Elite Racing, now part of the Competitor Group, and has been managing the San Jose race since it was launched three years ago. Each year she adds a few more green practices.

“I was born to a flower child,” said O’Brien. “I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life and I’ve always been very environmentally conscious.”

A passion for the cause is essential. With 12,000-plus participants expected to show up on October 5, O’Brien works 60-hour weeks and wears many hats. There are the permits to secure, the planning meetings to attend, the marketing campaign to organize, and all the back and forth with the bands, sponsors, vendors, and athletes.

With limited time on her hands, O’Brien tries to select sponsors and suppliers that can reinforce the environmental message. For instance, RNRSJ is partnering with Aquafina this year for its bottled water. The Pepsico subsidiary is providing giant recycling bins that it will place around the finish line.

While plastic water bottles are not exactly green, all Aquafina bottles will be recycled, as will the sports drink bottles supplied by Cytomax. Race volunteers bag the bottles at the seven aid stations and at the start and finish of the race. The City of San Jose, in coordination with the race’s recycler, picks up the bottles and other recyclables such as cardboard, metal, and glass, and hauls them to the local recycling facility. Last year, the race recycled over 26,000 plastic bottles, according to O’Brien.

Another eco-friendly race partner is PickupPal. The Montreal-based company provides registered athletes with a convenient online tool for arranging carpools. The PickupPal link will be on the RNRSJ website by the end of August.

Ridesharing is just one way that O’Brien is looking to reduce the race’s carbon footprint. The race website encourages the 50% of participants who live in the Bay Area to use public transportation to get to and from the race. The commuter rail CalTrans operates between San Francisco and San Jose and the local San Jose light rail trains stop at the race site. “On race day, every train is full to the gills,” said O’Brien.

Wish List

Of course, being environmentally responsible isn’t free, even though the investment pays dividends. “It’s easy to say we should really start instituting changes, but it does get expensive when you’re talking about large races,” she said.

One item on her wish list is to work with certified FSC-certified green printers, and use 100% recycled paper and biodegradable vegetable inks. “But it adds cost and we haven’t been able to go that route yet,” O’Brien said.

Still, the race has made major strides to reduce paper use. Three years ago, RNRSJ printed 1.5 million marketing brochures. This year that number has been cut in half and the size of the race brochure has been reduced from a 6-panel brochure to a postcard.

Also, most communication is now done online. About 90% of participants register online and early confirmations are sent by email. O’Brien is looking forward to the day when the race is 100% online.

And then there’s the race packet (AKA the “goodie” bag) that all athletes must pick up before the race. These bags include important stuff like race numbers, timing chips, and official race information, but they typically include a lot of marketing literature that many athletes throw away.

“We call them goodie bags but sometimes they are not so goodie,” said O’Brien. “This year we are making them more goodie.”

O’Brien has eliminated most of the paper from this year’s bags and instead provides sponsors with space on the race’s website to provide information for athletes. “We contemplated doing away with the goodie bags entirely until several companies stepped up with products instead of paper,” she said.

Products that will be in this year’s bags include a couple of food samples, a shoe insole, a bracelet, and a packet of shaving gel. The bags also include product coupons.

Even the bags themselves are more “goodie” this year – instead of the typical thin plastic that usually ends up in the trash, RNRSJ is using heavy-duty reusable plastic totes that can be reused as shopping bags.

Planning Ahead

O’Brien is always thinking ahead about how to make the next race more environmentally responsible. On her “To Do” list is green printing, composting, and finding a replacement for the non-recyclable aid-station cups.

Composting is just not a practical option at this time, said O’Brien. The next best thing that the race does is donate all extra food to Second Harvest, a local San Jose-based food bank.

The problem with aid-station paper cups is the polyethylene (PE) lining. Last year, the race used about 200,000 cups and they all ended up in landfill. That’s a problem because PE is petroleum based, does not biodegrade, and cannot be recycled. O’Brien is looking at alternatives such as compostable cups made from corn starch or sugarcane.

If you’re planning to run RNRSJ, drop FitPlanet an email at info@afitplanet.com after the race and tell us how you did and your impressions of how eco-friendly the race was.

And if you happen to run into Elizabeth O’Brien at the race please tell her “thank you.”

8.21.08 Today FitPlanet launches Profiles in Green to spotlight events and athletes that are making a difference for the environment. Our hope is that these stories will inspire you to make some postive changes in your own life. And if you’re a race director, to set you on the path to creating more environmentally responsible events.

Today we are posting our first race Profile in Green : The Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon.

And tomorrow we’ll post our first individual Profile in Green : The amazing story of Tommy Neeson.

Do you have a candidate for a Profile in Green? Drop us an email at info@afitplanet.com

08.08.08 — Athletes for a Fit Planet is pleased to announce it is supporting Sustainable Sports Foundation’s Marin County Triathlon and Marin County Marathon to ensure both will be environmentally responsible and sustainable events.

From inception, Sustainable Sports Foundation President Mark Liebert has made a commitment that both events will be environmentally responsible, with the goals of zero waste to landfill and carbon neutrality. The race will be powered by solar energy, waste will be recycled or composted, athletes with receive organic cotton race t-shirts, and Sustainable Sports Foundation will offset the carbon emissions from the travel of all participating athletes. FitPlanet will provide support in the planning and execution of these initiatives.

The Olympic distance triathlon takes place October 26 in San Rafael, California along the bay just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and the marathon (full, half, 10K) takes place April 19, 2009 in the same very scenic area.

Both events are donating ALL of their net proceeds to charity. This year’s Marin County Triathlon will benefit The Lupus Foundation, Girls on the Run and Jenny’s Light.

“We are excited to be working with FitPlanet to implement our environmental plans,” said Liebert. “FitPlanet brings the knowledge and depth of experience that will help make the Marin County Triathlon and Marin County Marathon environmental successes.”

“Sustainable Sports Foundation is setting the bar very high,” said FitPlanet’s Chief Green Officer Bruce Rayner. “From zero waste to carbon neutrality, these two races will be examples of what is possible and important examples for other race directors to learn from.”

About Sustainable Sports Foundation
Sustainable Sports Foundation was created by coffee and tea entrepreneur, avid triathlete and philanthropist Mark Liebert by blending together his passions for life.
As a way of giving back to the community, the Marin County Triathlon and the Marin County Marathon will be amazing annual events with all net proceeds going to charity.
At the forefront of each race will be to highlight the beauty of Marin County and how we need to take care of our world in a sustainable manner, and to keep it that way for many years to come.
For more information, please visit: www.marintriathlon.com

In the coming months, Athletes for a Fit Planet will be chronicling Sarah Groff’s travels around the world as she represents the US in the ITU World Cup Triathlon Race Series. Sarah competes at the highest level of the sport and is currently the top-ranked US women in the World Cup standings.

Sarah typically travels twice a month, often flying half-way round the world to compete. So travel is a big part of her job.

The problem is that air travel is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally. It contributes about 5% to the total global greenhouse gas emissions a year. And aviation is one of the fastest growing cause of global warming. According to one source, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by air travel doubled between 1990 and 2004. What’s more, some scientific studies have suggested that high-altitude emissions of greenhouse gases are the most harmful to the planet.

So not only do we have a problem but we’re heading in the wrong direction.

That’s why FitPlanet is stepping up and offsetting Sarah’s greenhouse gas emissions for an entire year. Not only will we be neutralizing the impact of her travels, but we hope to inform athletes like you about the importance of reducing your own carbon footprint and maybe encourage you to consider offsetting your own emissions.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of confusion about what offsets are, how they work, and the value they produce. FitPlanet is the first to admit that offsets are not a cure for global warming. The only solution is a reduction on greenhouse gases and the adoption of wind, solar, ocean wave and water current power, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources that have a zero or low carbon footprint.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll explore the issue of offsets, calculate Sarah’s carbon footprint, and look at a variety of options for how she can offset her greenhouse gas emissions. We hope you’ll join us on the journey.

Stay Fit,

Bruce
bruce@afitplanet.com

I have disproportionately large feet. With a men’s 9-and-a-half shoe size, I should be a giant, but instead I reached a mere 5′ 8″, much to my dismay (and my smaller-footed, 5′ 10″ older sister’s secret delight). My feet are large enough to have earned me the moniker “Sausage” from my friends, due to my tendency to leave large, wet footprints on the kitchen floor.
While I’ve long accepted the size of my feet and realize that they will never get smaller, I do try to avoid having them swell in size. With air travel, fluids can collect and pool in one’s ankles and feet, resulting in what I call the “marshmallow effect.” As I fly quite a bit, most recently travelling to Hungary and Austria to race, I’ve been experimenting with compression and onboard exercises to great affect. My feet will never get smaller, but I can avoid the onset of swelling to keep them from getting any bigger.
Like my actual footprint, my carbon footprint is disproportionately large, due to my frequent air travel. (Carbon Footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) produced by an individual through the use of services or products.)
This is of great concern to me. Unfortunately, in order to race on the ITU World Cup circuit, I have to travel internationally as currently there is but one US-based ITU race in Des Moines, Iowa. Although most athletes may not travel as much as I do, we all emit greenhouse gases when we travel to races. And while sailing or swimming to Kona might be an option for some, carbon-producing air travel is the only realistic option (and much more conducive to one’s taper).
While my footprint is larger than most, there are ways we all can minimize our carbon footprint. Here are a few suggestions for avoiding that excess environmental “swelling” associated with travel:
– Take the shortest flight path possible. With the rising cost of airfare, many of us are tempted by the cheaper options, which may take us on a less direct, and thus less eco-friendly, trajectory.
– Fly on larger planes when given an option. Per person, smaller planes produce more emissions than larger planes.
– Fly non-stop. Shorter flights produce more greenhouse gases than longer ones per mile. Plus, you are less likely to lose your bike without a connection!
– Drive to a race with a buddy. Driving together is more eco-friendly. Added benefit: a road trip is also a great test for the viability of a new relationship.
– Offset your carbon emissions. After calculating the emissions produced in travel, buy carbon credits to offset your trip. While reducing emissions is the best solution, offsetting helps fund projects that take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and is a great way to mitigate some of the damage.

I wish you all the best in your travelling and racing!

Sarah

Email Sarah at sarah@afitplanet.com