All the News That’s Fit

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.

4.27.08 How did you spend Earth Day? Did you attend a rally? Were you a bit more conscious about what you recycle? Did you change a few light bulbs to compact florescents? Perhaps you rode you bike to work? That’s great - every little bit helps.
What the Planet needs, however, is not one Earth Day a year but 365. And if we are going that far, let’s make it Earth Decade. On second thought, let’s go for Earth Century.
What’s my point? One day is not enough to change habits - a year or a decade is.
So when you fly to that next business meeting or vacation destination, offset your greenhouse gas emissions (atmosfair.org is a good carbon offset site to use but you make your own decision).
The next time you’re in the market for a new car, don’t buy that SUV, buy a hybrid (or electric, or hydrogen, or fuel cell) car.
And when you buy a new home, pass on that 8,000 square foot McMansion, and buy something that requires less energy to heat and cool.
And as an athlete, the next time you are looking for a race or event — be it a triathlon, road race, century ride, open-water swim, charity walk, or whatever — check the race website to see if it has a green plan. If not, email the race director to ask why not, then continue your search for one that does. Starting Monday, April 28, you can also search the FitPlanet EcoRace Directory at www.afitplanet.com/raceinfo.
Race Directors that are putting on sustainable events need your support. Together we can make everyday Earth Day.

4.14.08 — If you’re going to be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this weekend for the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship and the US Olympic Team Trials, be sure to stop by and say hello to Athletes for a Fit Planet. We’ll have a booth at the Expo on Friday, April 18, in the Athletes Village, located on the corner of Jack Warner Parkway and Greensboro Avenue in Tuscaloosa.

The Collegiate race gets underway at 7 am Saturday morning and the Olympic Trials take place in the afternoon: noon for the women and 2:30 pm for the men.

If you’re concerned about the environment and want to see triathlons become greener, then stop by our booth between 10 am and 6 pm Friday and take the FitPlanet EcoSurvey and sign the FitPlanet EcoPledge. We’ll have FitPlanet bamboo T-shirts for sale plus eco-friendly giveaways.

See you in Tuscaloosa!

4.14.08 — Athletes for a Fit Planet is pleased to announce that Chief Green Officer Bruce Rayner is participating in the recently formed USA Triathlon Sustainability Task Force.

USA Triathlon, which has over 100,000 athlete members and is the sanctioning body for over 2,000 triathlons in the US annually, announced the formation of the four-member Sustainability Task Force in the spring issue of USA Triathlon Life. The Sustainability Task Force is led by Kathy Matejka, USAT’s Director of Event Services. In addition to FitPlanet’s Rayner, the Task Force includes Jeff Henderson, USAT-Certified Race Director and co-founder of the Council for Responsible Sport, and Jay Udelhoven, USAT member and Senior Policy Advisor for The Nature Conservancy.

The Sustainability Task Force will assess and consider USAT’s strategic position and plan for supporting race venue environmental impact and sustainability, according to Matejka. “We will lay the foundation for a broader strategy by the federation’s constituents to address this key issue that becomes more important with each passing day,” she added.

“USA Triathlon is taking a leadership role in addressing the issue of environmental responsibility,” said FitPlanet’s Rayner. “Because of its large and growing membership base and its strong relationships with the triathlon racing community, USA Triathlon can have a profound impact on the awareness and practices of race organizers, athletes, and all multisport stakeholders,” said Rayner.

USA Triathlon is the sanctioning authority for more than 2,000 diverse events ranging from grassroots to high-profile races nationwide. The organization works to create interest and participation in a variety of programs including camps, clinics, races and educational opportunities.

USAT’s 100,000-strong membership is comprised of athletes of all ages, coaches, officials, parents and fans striving together to strengthen multisport. The sactioning body’s mission is to provide excellence in leadership, structure and education for the growth and development of the sport. USAT’s vision is to set the standard of excellence as a world leader in the sport by promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging participation and achievement.

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.

March 24, 2008 - Athletes for a Fit Planet LLC is pleased to announce that it is working with three prominent New England race organizations in 2008 to help green their events. These organizations are known for providing their athlete communities with first-class events. Now they are distinguishing themselves by offering first-class environmentally responsible events.

The three race directors are Reach the Beach Relay, Hopkinton, MA, Tri-Maine, Portland, ME, and EndureIT Multisports, Washington, CT. They share a common long-term goal of reducing waste and carbon emissions, as well as working with their communities of athletes and sponsors to promote broader environmental responsibility. However, they have unique challenges that require tailoring their green initiatives.

Reach the Beach Relay, one of the most prestigious long-distance relay road races in the country, is focusing on two environmental initiatives: reducing its carbon footprint and recycling waste.

The logistics challenges of this 24-hour New Hampshire relay race are significant, according to Race Director Richard Mazzola. Three hundred and fifty teams of up to 12 people each — that’s over 4,000 runners — need to be shuttled along the 200-mile course from Franconia Notch in the White Mountains to Hampton Beach on the coast.

Reducing and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions and providing recycling services along the course will require cooperation from the teams and sponsors and coordination with a number of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations, including the National Forest Service. Working with FitPlanet, Mazzola and fellow Race Director Mike Dionne plan to introduce some innovative solutions in 2008 and then build on their successes in 2009.

Tri-Maine, one of Maine’s premier triathlon race organizers, debuted the successful and innovative Zone Urban Epic Olympic distance triathlon in 2007 and, according to Tri-Maine Race Director Will Thomas, has big plans for both growing and greening the race in 2008.

This year’s Zone Urban Epic, which takes place in July in the heart of the City of Portland, has been selected as one of 12 national case studies, or “Seedlings,” by the Council for Responsible Sport, a non-profit organization working to establish comprehensive certification standards for sustainable athletic events. As part of the Seedling program, CRS will work with the Zone Urban Epic and use the findings to refine the standards.

FitPlanet will work with Tri-Maine to develop a long-term environmental plan for the Zone Urban Epic and implement a number of green initiatives in 2008. Many of these initiatives, including recycling and reuse of materials, reducing emissions, and coordinating efforts with sponsors, will be applied to other events Tri-Maine produces.

EndureIT Multisports, based in the heart of Connecticut’s Berkshire Mountains, is implementing its eco-initiative for its full 2008 race series and training camps, with a special focus on the Nutmegman, the only Half-Ironman distance triathlon in the state. Plans include working closely with race sponsors to showcase environmentally sound products and services, according to Race Director Amanda Braverman. This includes providing local organic food for the post-race party, and a commitment to recycling and composting waste. In addition, EndureIT Multisports will be promoting energy conservation for its athletes by encouraging carpooling and the voluntary purchase of carbon offsets.

These three FitPlanet charter members share the belief that a commitment to environmental responsibility requires a long-term view. “You can’t do everything all at once,” said FitPlanet’s Chief Green Officer Bruce Rayner. “Achieving zero-waste-to-landfill or carbon neutrality takes time.”

What’s important, added Rayner, is that these race directors are making environmental responsibility central to their business and are implementing meaningful change. “Their actions today will pay dividends in years to come.”

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.