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Athletes for a Fit Planet and Council for Responsible Sport Announce Partnership
February 1, 2010Boston, MA & Portland, OR
A leading environmental consulting firm and a standards body have formalized their relationship to promote sustainability. Athletes for a Fit Planet LLC (FitPlanet) and the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) have partnered. The two organizations encourage sporting events to adopt sustainable practices. They will offer a process for event organizers to work toward certification to the CRS standard; the FitPlanet Pledge of Sustainability is a tool for that goal.
FitPlanet's Pledge of Sustainability offers event organizers the opportunity produce sustainable events by implementing a minimum of 9 out of a possible 27 eco-practices. By taking the Pledge, the event displays the Pledge of Sustainability logo, and is listed in the FitPlanet Green Events Directory. The event organizer gains access to the password-protected FitPlanet Resource Center: a ‘how-to' guide, a business directory of green product and service providers, and a 60-minute FitPlanet webcast for greening events. The latter is produced by Active Network, a FitPlanet partner on the Pledge of Sustainability.
The Pledge eco-practices combined with the CRS credits provide a guide for event organizers to introduce environmentally responsible practices, explained Bruce Rayner, chief green officer of FitPlanet. "They can start modestly with the Pledge and seamlessly work toward CRS certification," Rayner added.
"Fit Planet has had a great deal of success in supporting event organizers in their pursuit of attaining CRS Certification," said Marisa McGilliard, Executive Director of CRS. "Most recently, the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) earned CRS Silver Certification. This included achieving over a thirty-two percent reduction in waste to landfill in just one years' time under Fit Planet's direction. To put this percentage into context, the standard decrease in waste to landfill year over year for most events is ten percent."
From running to snowboarding, cycling to lacrosse, the Council believes that athletes, spectators, and event directors have the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt standards of environmental and social responsibility. The CRS certification standard is the recognized de facto standard for mass participation sporting events in North America. Modeled on the US Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system, CRS certification is a rigorous process requiring events to earn a minimum of 22 out of a possible 41 credits. To date, 19 events have earned the right to display the prestigious CRS emblem including the Austin Marathon, the Baltimore Running Festival, Los Angeles Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon and the Birmingham Half Marathon in England.
About Athletes for a Fit Planet
Athletes for a Fit Planet is a leading provider of environmental services to organizers of athletic events, including running, multi-sport, cycling and walking events. Fit Planet's Pledge of Sustainability and Green Events Directory provide a cost-effective way for event organizers to communicate their green practices to athletes, and for athletes to make informed decisions about the events they participate in. The company also offers environmentally-responsible companies creative marketing solutions for reaching the athlete community. See www.afitplanet.com
About the Council for Responsible Sport
The Council for Responsible Sport ("CRS") is a non-profit organization based in Portland, OR with a mission to establish a new standard in sport. One program offered by CRS is a sustainability certification for mass participation sporting events. The CRS Certification defines a set of credits that provides directors and organizers with a comprehensive framework to incorporate standards of environmental and social responsibility into their event; participants can learn about those events. Additionally, CRS works in collaboration with a number of partner organizations on sustainability plans for individual teams, sports associations, and leagues. See www.resport.org