All the News That’s Fit

It’s been a busy racing season for FitPlanet so far this year and the pace is only quickening. Here’s a list of the races we are supporting in July and August. If you see our booth at the expo or at the race, stop and say hello. We’ll give you a free bumper sticker.
And if you’re interested in volunteering for the FitPlanet Green Team to help us with the recycling effort at the races we support, please contact us at info@afitplanet.com. In addition to a race volunteer shirt, food and comraderie, FitPlanet will give you one of our beautiful organic cotton t-shirts.

July 18: Nautica New York City Triathlon
July 24: Whaling City Triathlon, New Bedford, MA
August 1: Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Chicago, IL
August 7: TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K, Cape Elizabeth, ME
August 8: Urban Epic Boston Sprint Triathlon, Boston, MA
August 21: Amica 19.7 Sprint Triathlon Boston, Carver, MA
August 28-29: Cranberry TriFest, Lakeville, MA

This release was sent out to our friends in the media June 4 at 2:30 pm EST…

June 4, 2010 – Athletes for a Fit Planet LLC, a leading provider of environmental services to athletic events, is excited to announce that the Special Olympics Connecticut 2010 Summer Games is the first event to take the Multiday Event Pledge of Sustainability. Details of the Games’ Pledge can be found on the FitPlanet Green Events Calendar.

“Up until now, we have provided event organizers of road races, triathlons, and other mass-participation events with a single-day Pledge of Sustainability so they can publically commit to and communicate their intentions for greening their events,” said Bruce Rayner, Chief Green Officer, Athletes for a Fit Planet. “The Multiday Pledge expands on our single-day Pledge to include the environmental impact of accommodations, food service, and event transportation that address the complexities of multiday events such as the Special Olympics.”

The Special Olympics Connecticut 2010 Summer Games takes place June 11-13 at Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT. The University will provide room and board for over 2,000 athletes over the three-day event. Special Olympics and the university will provide transportation for athletes, family members and spectators between the event venues.

“Special Olympics Connecticut is committed to being environmentally responsible and FitPlanet’s Pledge of Sustainability provides us with a way to formalize and communicate that commitment. Our hope is that more and more individuals will take note and become more aware of what we are trying to accomplish.” said Laurie-Jean Hannon, Vice President of Games & Sports Development.

FitPlanet’s Multiday Pledge of Sustainability includes nine required items in three categories: event operations, accommodation and food services, and transportation. It was created for tournaments, games, camps, stage races and any type of event that last more than one day, according to Rayner.

The Pledge includes a commitment to measure the event’s environmental impact in these three areas and to implement specific initiatives to reduce the waste, carbon and water footprints. Events have the option to do more than the nine required items by adding electives to their Pledge.

The Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games has pledged to the nine required items plus an additional 10 electives.

ABOUT ATHLETES FOR A FIT PLANET
Athletes for a Fit Planet LLC is a leading provider of environmental services to organizers of athletic events, including running, multisport, cycling and walking events. Fit Planet’s Pledge of Sustainability and Green Events Calendar provide a cost-effective way for event organizers to communicate their environmental practices to athletes. The Green Events Calendar is a tool for athletes to help them make informed decisions about the events they participate in. FitPlanet also offers environmentally-responsible companies creative marketing solutions for reaching the athlete community.

ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS CONNECTICUT
Since 1969, Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT) has been changing attitudes and changing lives through year-round sports training and athletic competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. SOCT currently serves 12,514 athletes (with intellectual disabilities) and partners (without intellectual disabilities) from across the state. Athletes and partners compete in 22 different Olympic-type sports thanks to over 100 local coordinators, 900 coaches and 10,000 additional volunteers.

Weblinks
www.afitplanet.com
www.soct.org

Media Contacts
FitPlanet Contact: Bruce Rayner, 508-429-0976 or bruce@afitplanet.com
Special Olympics Connecticut Contact: Laura Gremelsbacker, 203-230-1201 x240 or LauraG@soct.org

Click the link below to see live footage from one of the 12 video cameras BP has placed around the Deepwater Horizon wellhead.
While it’s hard to endure, FitPlanet suggests you take a few moments to watch the worst environmental disaster in American history unfolding and to think about one action you might take to reduce your dependence on oil.

Compelling TV from 5,000 feet under the Gulf of Mexico, courtecy of BP

FItPlanet continues to expand its geographic reach as Senior Consultant for Europe Toby Radcliffe is providing Team Green Britain Bike Week with support to help event organisers make their events more sustainable. Team Green Britain Bike week takes place June 19-27. Click here for the Sustainability Guidelines that Toby penned for the event.

In addition to advising local organizers of Bike Week events, Toby works with EDF Energy, the title sponsor of the Birmingham Half Marathon, on a number of projects to help develop a best practice approach to event sustainability. Toby worked with the 2009 Birmingham Marathon to help the race earn gold-level certification to the Council for Responsible Sport standard.

It looks like the Cup-Free racing trend is gaining steam.

The latest race to announce it’s going cup-free is the Ham Run Half Marathon in Minnesota. The race is partnering with Colorado-based HydraPouch to eliminate cups from this year’s race.

Each runner in the May 2, 2010 race will be provided with a HydraPouch personal hydrator as part of their race pack, and HydraPouch will provide their rapid-dispensing HydraPour devices at every aid station, allowing runners to fill their HydraPouches or any container of their choice without stopping.

The Ham Run Half Marathon takes place on the picturesque Gunflint Trail, a National Scenic Byway located in the Superior National Forest adjacent to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

“We’ve taken every possible effort to conserve resources and leave no trace, so embracing Cup-Free racing is a natural for us,” said Race Coordinator Sue Prom.

Race Directors: if you want to learn more about Cup-Free racing, join our webcast on April 29. Click here for details and to register.

The season is upon us and we are busy preparing to support races across the country in their greeening efforts. If you’re at any of these races, please stop by our expo booth and say hello – we’ll give you a free FitPlanet bumper sticker.

FitPlanet’s schedule…
Sunday April 18 – NYC Dow Live Earth Run for Water - including a concert by John Legend and the Roots.
Sunday April 25 – Big Sur International Marathon
Sunday May 2 - Cox Rhode Races in Providence, RI
Sunday May 16 – Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredericksburg, VA

Whether you’re just introducing recycling or already a certified green event, race directors across the country are making great strides to be more eco-friendly.
FitPlanet wants to help you communicate your green commitment with a special offer on our Pledge of Sustainability. For one month, from Earth Day, April 22 until May 22, we are offering a 20% discount on the Pledge. That’s only $80 per event!
By Pledging to implement a minimum of nine sustainability practices for your event you get…
• The use of the Pledge of Sustainability logo on your website and in your marketing materials.
• Listing of your event in the Green Events Directory including the specific green initiatives your race is adopting. The FitPlanet website received 100,000 hits in March.
• Access to FitPlanet’s How-To Guide for Greening Events covering all aspects of producing a green race.
• Access to the Green Business Directory that lists dozens of companies that provide environmentally responsible products and services specifically for events like yours.
• A free One-Hour Consultation with FitPlanet on cost-effective strategies for greening your race.
• Participation in the monthly FitPlanet Webcast presenting the latest ideas and innovations for greening your race. Click here to join our upcoming Webcast at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time on April 29: Rethinking Hydration at Your Race: Toward Cup-Free and Plastic-Free Racing
Celebrate Earth Day by going green and saving green with FitPlanet’s Pledge of Sustainability.

FitPlanet is one of two environmental consulting firms working with the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a global event taking place on April 18 in cities and towns around the world. The mission: to raise awareness and financial support about the plight of millions who lack clean water.
The run distance is 6K, which symbolizes the distance a villager has to walk every day to get water if there is no potable water in their community.
FitPlanet encourages you to get out and participate, either run or walk. Many of the runs will have music and a festival.

USA Triathlon announced Monday that it has extended its partnership with Athletes for a Fit Planet through 2010, supporting a commitment to implement programs that preserve natural resources and protect the environment via its GoGreen initiative.

“USA Triathlon is thrilled to be partnered with FitPlanet once again in 2010,” said USAT CEO Skip Gilbert. “Environmentally sound practices are important to our membership, and we continually strive to make our national events as sustainable and green as possible. FitPlanet has been an invaluable resource in reaching these goals, and I encourage all race directors to take the FitPlanet Pledge of Sustainability.”

As a key part of this partnership, USAT has taken FitPlanet’s Pledge of Sustainability for the 2010 Age Group, Elite and Sprint National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“The fact that the USAT has taken the Pledge of Sustainability is testament to the USAT’s commitment to environmental responsibility,” said Bruce Rayner, FitPlanet’s Chief Green Officer.

Click here to read the USAT’s press release.

We’ve got some exciting news to share…

FitPlanet has been a strong supporter of the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) since the industry standards body launched in late 2007. Now we have established a formal partnership with CRS with the mission of providing sporting events a clear roadmap for earning recognition as a sustainable event.

FitPlanet has aligned our Pledge of Sustainability with the CRS standard so event organizers can use the Pledge as a starting point on their journey toward CRS certification.

FitPlanet’s Pledge of Sustainability provides event organizers the opportunity to formally and publicly commit to produce sustainable events by implementing a minimum of 9 out of a possible 26 eco-practices. FitPlanet’s Pledge criteria are now aligned with the 41 credits that comprise the CRS certification standard.

An event pays $100 to take the Pledge, which gives it the right to display the Pledge of Sustainability logo and list their event in the FitPlanet Green Events Directory.

The event organizer has access to the password-protected FitPlanet Resource Center that includes a ‘how-to’ guide, a business directory of green product and service providers, and a 60-minute FitPlanet webcast for greening events produced by Active Network, a FitPlanet partner on the Pledge of Sustainability. In February, FitPlanet is introducing a monthly webinar series for race directors who have taken the Pledge and/or are working toward CRS certification.

“Fit Planet has had a great deal of success in supporting event organizers in their pursuit of attaining CRS Certification,” said Marisa McGilliard, Executive Director of CRS. “Most recently, the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) earned CRS Silver Certification. This included achieving over a thirty-two percent reduction in waste to landfill in just one years’ time under Fit Planet’s direction. To put this percentage into context, the standard decrease in waste to landfill year over year for most events is ten percent.”

From running to snowboarding, cycling to lacrosse, the Council believes that athletes, spectators, and event directors have the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt standards of environmental and social responsibility. The CRS certification standard is the recognized de facto standard for mass participation sporting events in North America. Modeled on the US Green Building Council’s LEED green building certification system, CRS certification is a rigorous process requiring events to earn a minimum of 22 out of a possible 41 credits. To date, 19 events have earned the right to display the prestigious CRS emblem including the Austin Marathon, Baltimore Running Festival, Los Angeles Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon and the Birmingham Half Marathon in England.

ABOUT THE COUNCIL FOR RESPONSIBLE SPORT
The Council for Responsible Sport (“CRS”) is a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, with a mission to establish a new standard in sport. One program of CRS is administering a sustainability certification for mass participation sporting events. The CRS Certification defines a set of credits that empower directors and organizers with a comprehensive framework to incorporate standards of environmental and social responsibility into their event while informing athletes and participants which sports adhere to those standards. Additionally, CRS works in collaboration with a number of partner organizations in creating sustainability plans for individual teams, sports associations, and entire leagues.

FitPlanet Contact: Bruce Rayner at 508-429-0976
CRS Contact: Marisa McGilliard: 503-863-6892