All the News That’s Fit

There are a lot of terms that people and companies use to describe what they are doing to “help the environment.” Green is one that is used a lot. Sustainability is bandied about as is Eco-Friendly and Eco-Efficiency. And Carbon Footprint and Carbon Neutral are becoming more common too.

We have a vague understanding of what these words mean. One company might use Sustainability to describe their commitment to buy carbon credits to offset their carbon emissions. That’s great, but they might also continue to emit tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every year. Another might use Eco-Friendly to describe a product made from 100% organic cotton or recycled plastic. That’s good too but they most likely will still ship their products around the world in trucks and planes that contribute significantly to greenhouse gasses.

While these companies are doing good things, you could argue that their actions are neither Sustainable nor Green. Athletes for a Fit Planet prefers the term Environmental Responsibility. And when we use this term we mean two very specific things.

First, Environmental Responsibility means taking steps to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost what you consume. This applies to athletes, race directors and organizers, and the companies that support us.

Second, Environmental Responsibility means encouraging others to do the same. So for athletes it might mean asking your local bike shop to adopt a recycling program. For race directors, it might mean asking your sponsors to distribute less paper-based marketing materials at your events. For companies it includes asking your suppliers to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, and then auditing them to make sure they are complying.

If we all become more Environmentally Responsible, we will be on the path toward Sustainability and Green. But we have a long way to go.