All the News That’s Fit

I turned 50 a month ago. It was good to be surrounded by friends and family, and the party, presents, and cake were great. But when I look back on the day, I’ll mostly remember the hike I took up a 4,000-foot New Hampshire peak with my chocolate lab Zoe.

The snow was hip deep in places but the trail was passable. A couple of free-heel skiers had been up the trail earlier in the day so we followed their tracks. When we got to the summit the wind was blowing hard and steady from the southwest. It felt good to lean into it and just take in the view - 360 degrees of peaks and valleys, and the clouds moving fast across the afternoon sky. I was 50, I was on the top of a 4,000 footer in late winter with my dog, and I couldn’t have been happier.

As I started to descend, I thought about my 5-year-old daughter. She loves to hike too. When she turns 50 in 2052, will she be able to enjoy what I was experiencing on that day? Would there still be snow in New Hampshire? Will the stands of pine and oak and maple that define this area still be here?

Wrapping your mind around the environmental challenges the world faces can be overwhelming. And the profound impact they’ll likely have on mankind is just too scary to contemplate. But contemplate them we must. And then we must act.

As human beings, that means consuming more wisely. It means using less of just about everything: gasoline, paper, electricity, and plastic. It means reusing, recycling, and composting. It means patronizing companies that have a sincere commitment to environmental responsibility. It means living more consciously.

As an athlete it means choosing to participate in events that are doing the same. That are striving to minimize the impact they have on the environment. That use less gasoline, paper, electricity, and plastic. That reuse, recycle and compost. That align themselves with sponsors and vendors that are doing the same.

I know of very few triathlons or road races in the US that are environmentally responsible. FitPlanet is working with three that are passionate about the cause: Reach the Beach Relay, Tri-Maine, and EndureIT Multisports. Others will get the message when athletes start to demand it.

One man who “gets it” is Mitch Zeisler, executive director of the Charles River Challenge. Mitch is planning this 100% sustainable, non-profit, Olympic-distance triathlon in and around the Charles River in the Cambridge/Boston section of the river. The inaugural race is planned for 2010, but that all depends on the river’s water quality.

Until recently, like most urban rivers in the US, the Charles was unswimmable. In 1995, the EPA gave it a D for water quality. While more or less swimmable today, it still suffers the occasional sewage spill during heavy rains and algae breakouts in the summer. The riverbed sediment remains toxic. The Charles River Challenge is an opportunity to bring attention to the environmental plight of the river. It’s a catalyst for action.

So why wait till 2010 to hold the race? Why not move it up a year to 2009?

Here’s an idea. What if hundreds of triathletes emailed the Charles River Challenge at info@charlesriverchallenge.org? Maybe then the powers-that-be would move a little faster.

You have the power.