FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chevron Houston Marathon Earns Silver ReSport Certification,
U.S. Olympic Trials Also Becomes ReSport Certified
January Events in Houston Become First-Ever to
Achieve Dual Certification from Council for Responsible Sport
June 4, 2012 - Portland, OR: The Houston Marathon Committee (HMC) set an
ambitious goal for itself and its partners when they applied for ReSport
Certification for both the 40th Annual Chevron Houston Marathon calendar of
events as well as the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon they would host on the
same January 2012 weekend. Today it was announced that both events achieved
ReSport Certification, with the Houston Marathon events earning 44 of the
54 credits applied for - good for Silver ReSport Certification - and the
U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon earning 37 of 46 credits applied for - good
for basic ReSport Certification.
"Of all the events that have become ReSport Certified," said Keith Peters,
Executive Director of the Council for Responsible Sport, "none have taken
on a bigger challenge than the Houston Marathon Committee did last January.
Applying for ReSport Certification is a rigorous process, one that requires
attention to detail and lots of documentation. By striving for dual
certifications, Houston Marathon Committee members took on twice the
workload, at least, and there were no time or cost-saving shortcuts
available to them."
"This monumental achievement can be attributed to a complete Committee
effort, an integrated planning process, and a total commitment from our
partners as well as the eco-friendliness of both Discovery Green and the
George R. Brown Convention Center," said Wade Morehead, Houston Marathon
Committee Executive Director. "We are grateful to the Council for
Responsible Sport for teaching event organizations like us about how to
reach sustainability goals and reduce our carbon footprint."
For the past two years, the Houston Marathon Committee has partnered with
Waste Management Sustainability Services to incorporate their greening
efforts into every stage of their events. In addition, this year
Eco-Logistics was added to the green initiatives team to help devise a
comprehensive approach to achieving ReSport Certification.
Among the many successful sustainability initiatives implemented in 2012,
here are a few examples:
-3,180 pieces of clothing discarded at the start of the races were
collected and given to Star of Hope Mission, a local agency dedicated to
meeting the needs of Houston's homeless;
-4.625 pounds of food from the post-race party was donated to the
Houston Food Bank; and
-an estimated 87% of all power used came from renewable energy sources.
Managing and measuring two separate waste stream diversion rates (materials
kept out of the landfill) is just one example of the challenges involved in
submitting two distinctly different applications for ReSport Certification:
Stations for collecting recyclable bottles, cans and cardboard, compostable
food service items and organic waste, and a minimal amount of actual trash
had to be set up for two expos - Trials Town in Discovery Green Park as
well as the Ironman Sports Medicine Institute at Memorial Hermann EXPO in
the George R. Brown Convention Center. Those same waste collection stations
also had to be set up for countless elite athlete and VIP meal served
throughout the week. Of course, waste collection set-ups were needed for
both Saturday's and Sunday's road races as well. Bottom line: the diversion
rates were 79% for the Olympic Trials and 83% for the marathon. And, yes,
event organizers had to keep the Trials waste stream separate from the
marathon's to be able to make those calculations.
In addition to waste stream metrics, the impact or footprint of a number of
other aspects were measured:
The carbon footprint of Houston Marathon participants traveling to and from
the event totaled 3,225 metric tonnes, while the carbon footprint of elite
athlete travel to the Olympic Trials totaled 265 metric tonnes
-The carbon footprint of event related operations for the Houston
Marathon was 109 metric tonnes, operations related carbon emissions for the
Olympic Trials was 91 metric tonnes.
-The water footprint attributed to the Houston Marathon was 290,000
gallons, while the Olympic Trials used 31,000 gallons of water (in both
cases, due to water conservation measures in place in the LEED Certified
George R. Brown Convention Center, it is estimated that some 20% less water
was used than would have been in a conventional building.
-Finally, all grey and black water from portable sanitation stations
were transported to a wastewater treatment plant, while liquid waste
containers were provided throughout the George R. Brown Convention Center
to allow runners to empty beverage containers prior to recycling them.
All in all, the sustainability efforts of the Houston Marathon Committee,
their partners, venue hosts, consultants and green crew volunteers add up
to two very well done events. Congratulations to everyone involved with
this effort!
The Council for Responsible Sport provides an independent, comprehensive
certification for event directors to incorporate environmental and socially
responsible initiatives into their events while informing consumers about
events that adhere to higher standards of sustainability. ReSport Certified
events range in size from the ParalympicsGB Training Camp at the University
of Bath in the UK, with some 150 athletes participating, to the AJC
Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers. To
date, 39 different events have achieved certification from the Council for
Responsible Sport, serving over 590,000 athletes in the process.
The current version of the Council for Responsible Sport's certification
standards were developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability
experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. ReSport Certification
is modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building
Rating System, which certifies buildings and materials according to
resource conservation and energy efficiency criteria.
About the Council for Responsible Sport:
Founded in 2007 to empower sporting event producers to incorporate
sustainably into their events, the Council for Responsible Sport is about
inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. The mission of CRS is
to partner with stakeholders in the sports industry as catalysts for
sustainable change. From half marathons to football games to lacrosse and
snowboarding, the Council believes athletes and spectators alike have the
opportunity to encourage sports to adopt sustainable practices.
In addition to administering a certification program for sports events, CRS
also offers peer-to-peer learning communities and access to online tools,
case studies and strategic partnerships to assist leaders and businesses
actively engaged in the sports industry.
For more information about the Council's programs and news from the world
of sustainable sport, visit www.CouncilForResponsibleSport.org.
About the Houston Marathon Committee:
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running
USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter
marathon, half-marathon, 5K and kids' fun run. In 2012, more than 30,000
runners participated in four race weekend events organized by 7,500
volunteers, creating Houston's largest single-day sporting event. The 2013
events will be held on January 13, 2013.
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