FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASFA Students Help Mercedes Marathon Go Green
Little Things Add Up to a Green and A Great Mercedes Marathon
BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Thanks to a group of Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA)
students, 2009 marks the first time ever Birmingham's Mercedes Marathon is
going green. After seeing piles of plastic water bottles, paper and food
discarded and not recycled after last year's race, ASFA teamed up with
Marathon Race Director Valerie McLean and went into action. Now -- with
partners Whole Foods, Advanced Disposal and Birmingham Recycling & Recovery
-- the "Green Team" is ready to recycle, reduce and reuse waste from the
greatest community celebration in Alabama.
The idea was such a natural extension of ASFA's "Little Things Add Up"
conservation effort, which has educated the school's population on the
importance of conservation and the big impact of small, personal recycling.
It all started at a lunchtime cafeteria conversation. "One runner alone
doesn't generate that much waste," said student and "Green Team" member
Bethany Orick, "but if you put together 10,000 people who run during the
Mercedes Marathon weekend every year, the total quickly adds up."
"The students wanted to do something to reduce the amount of waste, and
make a positive impact on our environment," added Kristy Lundstrom,
Director of Curriculum and Instruction at ASFA, and an avid runner.
Sixteen students will rotate duties during the weekend event on February 14
and 15. They are building and managing a booth at Boutwell Auditorium,
where the expected 10,000 runners will register. They will dispense
conservation information and recycle old running shoes, blankets and pins
there and at nearby Linn Park. They will help decorate and manage recycling
bins throughout the area. During the race, cardboard, plastics, and paper
will be recycled and food will be composted. ASFA students driving the
recycling effort are Shahar Abrams, Danielle Anderson, Ramsey Archibald,
Lydia Bailey, Andy Bates, Shelby Cook, Chloe Drummond, Meghan Ford, Clay
Greene, Mandy Holcomb, Danielle Hurd, Avery Murphy, Bethany Orick, Sam
Teer, Hannah Tharpe and Erin Yergan.
The Alabama School of Fine Arts is a tuition-free, public school for
talented Alabama students in grades 7-12. It is located in downtown
Birmingham and admission is by audition only. For more information about
the school or the recycling effort, please go to www.asfa.k12.al.us.
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