All the News That’s Fit

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.