Get responsible with your sports
When planning a large athletic event - say, a triathlon - sustainability isn't exactly the main focus. Event organizers want to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch, but this doesn't usually include making sure the environment isn't harmed in the process.
But maybe organizers should be considering the environment when planning their events. The races certainly draw enough people, many of whom fly long distances to get there, and who swig water out of paper cups before tossing them on the ground.
Enter: the Council for Responsible Sport. It exists to help organizers remember what is often forgotten: our planet.
The council helps companies and event organizers to reevaluate their views and apply for sustainable certification. The certification process includes five categories: waste, climate, materials/equipment, community/outreach, and health promotion. Over the course of a year, specialists guide event organizers through more sustainable practices, helping them to achieve eco-goals.
A good example of the process is Portland, Oregon's 2007 triathlon. The council helped Portland to organize composting and recycling bins on site, crafted bike racks from bamboo and surplus steel tubing, and food and drink were sold from local purveyors.
In the end, the integrity of the races are in no way compromised, and the events are made healthier and more sustainable, which can only mean good things for the athletes (and the city in which the race is being held).
A good example of the process is Portland, Oregon's 2007 triathlon. The council helped Portland to organize composting and recycling bins on site, crafted bike racks from bamboo and surplus steel tubing, and food and drink were sold from local purveyors.
In the end, the integrity of the races are in no way compromised, and the events are made healthier and more sustainable, which can only mean good things for the athletes (and the city in which the race is being held).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-10-2008 @ 12:43PM
John said...
Ummm, you make it sound like event organizers leave trash laying everywhere and nobody cleans anything up. Being a little over dramatic perhaps?
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