All the News That’s Fit

By MCM Green Team Member Christopher Stephens

You’ve done your training, you’ve been good to the environment by not using too many plastic bottles, you have recycled your old running shoes, and the socks on your feet are organic wool. Good for you! There’s one last way you can make your Marine Corps Marathon experience greener, and that is getting to the race in the greenest way possible.

If you are coming from out of town, you probably have your travel plans set. If you live in California and are coming to a race in DC, flying is probably your only realistic option. In that case you can offset your carbon emissions. If you live closer to the race and were planning to drive, perhaps you might want to consider another form of transportation.

I don’t own a car (I live in Manhattan, ‘nuff said), and renting a car in New York is extraordinarily unpleasant as well as breathtakingly expensive. So no driving for me. I could fly, but again, the cost is prohibitive, the time savings are marginal, and the hassle factor is high. Taking the train would be more convenient and less expensive, but for even less money, I can take the bus.

On many routes, intercity buses have shed their lowest common denominator reputation, and they are genuinely pleasant to ride: extra legroom, free wi-fi, and convenient express schedules. Personally, I use BoltBus, which even gives me frequent “flyer” points. And the fares? I’m getting from New York to DC for less than $40 round-trip.

What does this have to do with the environment? It turns out that riding the bus also has the lowest carbon footprint. For details, check this article. According to this writer, the only greener way to get to DC from New York is to drive a Prius.

What about once you get to Washington? There is really only one answer, which is again practical, affordable, and green: take the Metro. If you’re worried about using a subway for your first time on race morning, try a practice run by taking the train to the expo to pick up your number. The WMATA website has all the information you need.

As someone who lived in Washington for a number of years I had plenty of opportunity to observe out-of-towners use Metro for the first time. So let me offer two pieces of advice. First, you need to use your farecard both getting into the station as well as to get out at your destination, so keep it handy. Second, and most important, on the long escalators, stand on the right and let people walk past on the left. Nothing annoys locals more than tourists blocking the escalators. There’s even a snarky website to that effect: http://howtouseanescalatorindc.com/

Finally, remember that by running the Marine Corps Marathon, you are seeing the nation’s capital in the greenest way possible by using human power. Have a great race!

By MCM Green Team Member Christopher Stephens

In my last post I discussed the green aspects of running shoes. I hope that you are training in something more than just shoes, so time to consider the rest of your running gear. Of course, the greenest clothes are the ones you don’t have to go out and buy (remember: reduce, reuse, recycle). Still, clothes wear out, or you might not have something in your closet that is appropriate for at 26.2 mile run. So, like shoes, remember that clothes also have a life cycle.

What should you buy? Think organic, and think recycled. There are plenty of resources for running clothes that are designed to keep you cool and dry during your run, known as “technical” gear. However, you can do even better by finding technical gear that is made from something better than your average polyester.

Shirts: At a Marine Corps Marathon expo a few years ago, I met the people who run Atayne. Their shirts are made from recycled plastics (i.e., old soda bottles), as well as recycled cotton and other eco-friendly materials. They are great folks, and they even sponsor “trash runs”, which involve both running and picking up litter, a very literal way of combining running and being good to the environment. Lately, I have been wearing a fleece made by Earthtec, also from old soda bottles, and I have been pleased with its performance. Other, more mainstream companies are starting to include lines of shirts made from recycled polyester as well – I noticed that even Under Armor has started to market some clothing made from recycled materials.

Shorts: I have found fewer offerings for shorts made from recycled materials, though honestly I can’t see why. For the marathon, if everything goes according to plan, I will be wearing a pair of shorts from Patagonia. Instead of offering a line of clothing that is green, this company has been working towards making their entire operation green. One way that stands out is by taking back clothing for recycling and turning it into new clothes. In other words, not only are the clothes you buy from them made of recycled materials, they can continue to stay out of the waste stream even after you have worn them out.

Socks: another favorite company of mine is Teko, which makes socks from recycled polyester as well as organic wool. Wool, unlike the oil from which polyester is derived, is a sustainable, renewable resource. It is better on your feet than cotton, and easier on the environment.

Laundry: Finally, a word on taking care of your running gear. While my fellow Green Team blogger wrote about not needing to launder your clothes after each wearing, you will need to wash your clothes at some point. In the past I have been disappointed by detergents that claim to be easy on the environment. Typically, I found that they may be gentle on the earth, but they’re also gentle on the dirt, leaving it exactly where they found it on my clothes. Recently, I tried a laundry detergent from Method, which seems to do the trick, while not polluting the water supply. I was also happy to learn that your conventional liquid fabric softener can be replaced by, yes, white vinegar, which is cheaper and has less impact on the environment. I had read about this trick for years but did not dare try it until I saw my mother using it. My mother has extremely high standards, and if it is good enough for her, it is good enough for me. Sure enough, it leaves my clothes soft and, no, not smelling of vinegar. Try it.

During marathon training, which I admit is a year-round activity, I workout six days a week. So that could mean six shirts, six jog bras, and six pairs of socks to wash and dry every week. That’s the equivalent of an extra load of laundry week, or 52 extra loads a year.

I have found the key to keeping clothes stink free (or low stink) is to make sure they dry out between workouts. I do all my workouts from home which eliminates the post-workout sweaty gear getting stuffed in a bag to brew in a hot car. As soon as I get home I hang my sweaty clothes up to dry.

Through a remodeling quirk in my old New England home, I ended up with a one-foot wide-by-three-foot-long closet next to my shower. Go figure. So I put hooks along one wall and this serves as an ideal place to hang workout clothes between workouts. To allow for adequate ventilation I drilled holes in the door, so now the tiny closet is like a big locker. See the photo below.

This allows me to wear the same exercise apparel on repeated outings during a week. The shirt I bike in Monday is the same shirt I run in Tuesday and bike in again on Wednesday. Some weeks that shirt may get in a fourth workout on Thursday. It depends on the time of year and when it starts to get stinky. Like most folks I sweat more in the summer than in the winter.

According to at least two sources, about 75% to 80% of the environmental impact of an article of clothing comes from washing and drying. So by giving your clothes a second or third workout before washing you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

When my workout clothes do get washed it is in a front loading washer. The washer does an incredible job of spinning excess water out of the clothes, which makes drying quicker, which saves even more energy. I almost always hang my clothes to dry. In the summer I use clothes lines (see picture below) and in the winter I hang the clothes on hangers on a rod in my furnace room. As my uncle use to say “let God do the drying.”

Your clothes will certainly suffer less wear and tear if they are line dried and all the wicking performance clothes we wear does not need as much time in the drier as it probably gets.

But as I first mentioned the biggest key to lowering the carbon footprint of your clothing is to wear your workout gear more than once (or twice). Find a place to put up a few hooks to easily hang your clothes to dry between wearing and use the time saved from not doing that extra load of laundry for something else, like extending your workout . Or even better still, for a little power resting.

I have always wondered about shopping bags– cloth, plastic, paper– which is the best to use and why? Obviously, cloth is the way to go because you can reuse them all the time…but does using cloth REALLY make a difference?? YES! YES! YES!

Switch to reusable cloth shopping bags! When offered the option of paper or plastic bags at the checkout counter, avoid BOTH by bringing your own reusable bag made of organic cotton canvas, hemp, or some other durable, washable fabric. You can find them at your local grocers- we’re lucky these days because everyone is selling them and they are cheap ($.99 to $3) and fashionable.

Plastic bags are petroleum based and can take 500 years or more to decompose. Paper bags not only kill trees, but they require fossil fuels to produce and distribute. Keep both out of our landfills by packing your own bags!!

Every December 31st, I try to come up with a New Year’s resolution with the goal of self-improvement in mind. For the past few years, I have vowed to be more organized and to stop tracking wet footprints throughout the kitchen and bathroom; resolutions that I have been only slightly successful in keeping. I think that the fundamental problem behind my New Year’s resolution issue is that I am only half-heartedly invested in my declaration. Other than a desire to avoid annoying roommates with my water tracking problem and the realization that the taxation process would be easier without sorting through stacks of papers, there really is no driving force behind these resolutions.

What if I could come up with a viable resolution with a more compelling force behind it? It is in this vein that I decided to come up with an Earth Day-inspired resolution earlier this month and I vowed to eat in a more sustainable way.

As I already tend to eat whole, minimally processed, organic foods, I feel that the easiest way to accomplish this goal is to incorporate more vegan meals into my diet. Since the production of dairy and meat products is quite energy-intensive and produces waste, eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts is more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, there is an added health benefit because a vegan diet, while hardly low-calorie, is very filling and will help me lean down a bit for the race season (my brother just lost 5 lbs on a month-long vegan diet). Vegan foods also tend to be waaaaaaay cheaper, especially when in an unprocessed state. Just think of it as more money to spend on racing!

Through my adventures in occasional veganism, I’ve picked up a few lessons that I’ll share:
Turn to international fare for meals. Some of my favorite vegan dinners rely heavily on spices and beans. Try out a vegetarian Harira, a lemon and herb-infused, chickpea and lentil soup typically eaten during Ramadan. Indian dishes, such as dal and chana masala (omit the ghee), are both delicious and filling. And hummus is one of the greatest foods of all time.
Treat soy products as soy products. I’ve always been wary of soy masquerading as meat or animal products. Tofu and tempeh are great when treated with the respect that they deserve. Avoid the highly processed Tofu “hot dogs” or “cold cuts” and don’t make frosting out of tofu (I made that mistake last night and the memory makes me a bit queasy still)!
Get out of the protein-centric mindset. I know many athletes who have just barely progressed from the steak-and-egg breakfast mentality of the 1950s. Yes, we need protein, but you don’t need meat to meet your protein requirements. Swap your bread for sprouted grain products, introduce more nuts (especially nut butters!) and use a bit of hemp protein in your post-workout shake. You’ll be amazed how quickly the grams of protein add up!
Save the bean-centric meals for after training. Yes, beans are hard to digest and can cause some discomfort when running. I find that chickpeas and lentils are easier to process, but I still leave them for dinnertime.
Remember your multi-vitamin and iron supplements. Just in case…

Veganism is, quite frankly, not for everyone. I would, however, encourage everyone to incorporate more animal-free meals into your routine. They can be tasty, I promise!

I hope that more people start making Earth Day Resolutions. In my experience, with a greater purpose behind them than just “self-improvement,” it is easier and more rewarding to keep than a New Year’s resolution!

USAT announced on January 7 the partnership with FitPlanet to green its four National Championship events in 2009 plus the launch of the USAT Green Events Directory. Here’s the USAT press release.

01.07.09 — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon has expanded its “GoGreen” Initiative and its efforts to offer members access to environmentally friendly events by partnering with Athletes for a Fit Planet in 2009.
As an official supplier and USAT “GoGreen” partner, FitPlanet will be consulting USAT on the sustainability initiative behind its four owned National Championship events in 2009. Also, triathletes interested in racing environmentally conscious events can find races with the Athletes for a Fit Planet Green Events designation on the online USAT sanctioned events calendar.
“USA Triathlon has always taken seriously the responsibility of offering events that are fun, safe and fair for all participants,” said USAT CEO Skip Gilbert. “Our GoGreen Initiative and our partnership with FitPlanet take our responsibility to the next level by offering race directors the resources they need to minimize the environmental impact of their events and educating our members on where to find eco-friendly races in their area. We also want to ensure that our own championship events are conducted in a way that preserves the natural resources in the communities in which we race.”
FitPlanet works with organizers of multisport, running, cycling, and walking events in the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa to implement environmentally responsible practices. They focus on helping events reduce, recycle and compost waste, reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize the environmental impact of the event at the race site. They also work with sponsors and vendors to improve their environmental practices.
“Athletes for a Fit Planet is excited to be working with USA Triathlon,” said Bruce Rayner, the company’s Chief Green Officer. “USA Triathlon’s commitment to communicating the importance of environmental responsibility to its membership is vitally important to the health of the sport and the health of the planet. FitPlanet shares this mission and is looking forward to supporting USAT’s efforts, including helping to green the four USAT owned National Championship events in 2009.”

About Athletes for a Fit Planet
FitPlanet provides athletes with environmental information and news, including a Green Events Directory, so they can make informed choices about how to spend their money.
For event organizers we focus on the following:
• Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse: FitPlanet works with you to reduce landfill waste, maximize recycling and composting, and reuse materials and equipment.
• Minimize your Carbon Footprint: FitPlanet provides comprehensive solutions to reduce and offset your event’s greenhouse gas emissions and the emissions from athlete travel.
• Leave No Trace: FitPlanet works with the race organizers and local communities to ensure the race site is left cleaner and healthier than it was found.
• Greening the Supply Chain: FitPlanet helps race directors identify and select eco-friendly sponsors and vendors. We help sponsors and vendors adopt cost-saving, environmentally responsible practices.
• Eco-Certification: In a world where everyone says they are green, the only way to stand out is through certification. We provide a strategic framework and consulting services to help event organizers achieve certification as quickly and as economically as possible.

Learn more about Athletes for a Fit Planet. Contact:
Bruce Rayner
Founder and Chief Green Officer
Tel. 508.429.0976
Cell. 508.380.0868
Email. bruce@afitplanet.com

About USA Triathlon
|USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon – the fastest growing sport in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,500 races and connects with more than 110,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.
About the USAT GoGreen Initiative
USA Triathlon is committed to implementing programs that preserve natural resources and protect the environment via its GoGreen initiative. This commitment is evidenced in USAT’s use of recycled paper in printing projects, offering educational programs to its members, coaches and race directors, in addition to pursuing recycling and environmentally responsible efforts at its national office and championship events. Partnerships with organizations such as Athletes for a Fit Planet, Greenlayer Sports Apparel, and Eco-Sports Bottle ensure that USAT supports and promotes eco-friendly products and services in a manner consistent with the USAT GoGreen initiative.

USA Triathlon Media Contact:
Jason Mucher
Communications & Media Relations Manager
PH: 719-597-9090 ext. 105
FAX: 719-597-2121

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.”

4.28.08 Athletes for a Fit Planet today launched the Events Directory, the first searchable database of environmentally friendly races and events in the industry. The initial posting includes 16 events, primarily triathlons, that implemented at least one green initiative in 2007 or are planning at least one in 2008.
“FitPlanet will be adding more races and events to the directory in the coming months,” said Bruce Rayner, FitPlanet’s Chief Green Officer. “However, we are not looking for ‘green’ marketing hype – we want to see evidence of a real and substantial commitment to environmental responsibility.”
To contribute to the Events Directory, Rayner is encouraging athletes and race directors to email FitPlanet at directories@afitplanet.com with information about green events. “The more eco-friendly events that athletes have to choose from, the better off we all will be.” he said.