Action Items

Expo
•  The “goodie” bags that participants receive at the Expo contain no paper advertising, and double as gear check bags.
•  Recycling Stations are stationed throughout the Expo, along with volunteers to assist exhibitors and patrons in recycling.
•  Carbon-offset sales -$3 Green Tickets can be purchased at registration or at the Expo.
•  Runners' Weekend Guide is made of 30% recycled paper.

Start Area
•  Five recycling stations are placed at strategic points around the start area.
•  Six recycling stations are placed around the Capitol grounds.
•  Water Monsters deployed at points around the start area. Using Water Monsters helps encourage people to drink from a reusable water bottle.  Each Water Monster is  equal to 1000 "trash" bottles, or plastic bottles that are used only once then discarded. By encouraging people to bring their own bottles we help prevent thousands  of trash water bottles from being used and thrown away.
•  All portable toilets in the start and finish areas, and throughout the course, will use a formaldehyde-free chemical recognized as a premier environmentally-friendly  disposal chemical.
•  More than 500 articles of discarded clothing donated to local charities. Leftover finishers' medals and shirts donated to a local charity.

On-Course
•  Plastics and dry cardboard used at water stops will be recycled.
•  Composting of on-course waste is expected to eliminate the vast majority of landfill waste generated on the course:
•  400,000 compostable cups will be used to dispense water throughout the course, and the start and finish line areas.
•  500,000 compostable cups provided by Gatorade will be used to dispense their products throughout the course and finish line area.
•  All wet, non-recyclable cardboard and paperboard at aid stations will be composted.
•  All of the water stops on the courses will be supplied using onsite water hydrants and 125 gallon refillable Water Monster tanks that are delivered by a single truck,  eliminating the 2-3 tractor trailers that were previously used to deploy over 8,000 plastic gallon water jugs, and eliminating the energy and pollution costs of   bottling and transporting water from its source. The Water Monsters will provide City of Austin water, rated by Forbes magazine in 2008 as the second-cleanest  drinking water in the United States.
•  Reduced plastic on course due to sponsorship with Gatorade. Gatorade concentrate comes in recyclable 1-gallon containers, rather than in smaller containers of powder.
•  All badges for race operations made from recycled plastic (more than 1,000 total)
•  Official race vehicles and trucks will use bio-diesel fuel when possible. Ten official vehicles used bio-diesel in 2010.
•  No-idle zones will be enforced for all race vehicles, which saved approximately 18 gallons of gas and 95 pounds of carbon dioxide during race day in 2010.
•  A team of kayakers from the Austin Rowing Center will retrieve items discarded in Lady Bird Lake as runners pass over the Ann B. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and  the South First Street Bridge.

Finish Area
•  Ten recycling stations will be placed throughout in the finish line area.
•  Finish area food and other compostable waste will be collected for composting at recycling stations.
•  Food vendors at the finish line committed to using minimal packaging and no Styrofoam.
•  Minimization of waste considered in planning for runners' food at the finish.
•  Gutter Buddies – shields on city storm drains – used to keep debris from going into Lady Bird Lake and other local waterways.
•  Local homeless shelter receives leftover food from the finish line’s food service stations.

Race Weekend Operations
•  Car pooling encouraged whenever possible.
•  Designated Green Team leader in every division, ensuring everything from clothing management to race communications to food service is as sustainable as possible. The  team leaders are charged with eliminating unnecessary waste and pollution at every turn.
•  Overall awards are sourced locally, and age group award-winners can opt out of receiving a physical award, receiving a digital one, instead. These processes save  resources in both production and shipping.

Office/Year-Round
•  100 percent online race registration eliminates paper registration forms.
•  Gatorade coolers are cleaned and stored for reuse.
•  Old banners were donated to Keep Austin Beautiful and have found new life going out to beautification projects, where they’re used as tarps and drop-cloths for  projects.
•  Race websites hosted by company using wind power for operations.
•  Eco-tips included in periodic email blasts.
•  Race office paper is 30% recycled paper.
•  Race office commits to using recycled products, reducing waste, and recycling.
•  Items handed out at other races’ Expos are reusable items.
•  Participating in City of Austin Green Events Rebate Program

Achievements

2008 - Runner's World Magazine recognized the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® as the greenest race in North America.
2009 - Achieved a two year certification by the Council For Responsible Sport (ReSport)
2009 - Keep Austin Beautiful Recycling & Waste Reduction event winner
2010 - Austin Business Journal's "Going Green Award" given to Michelle Sandquist, Green Advocate
2010 - Qualified for "Go Green" program sponsored by The Active Network and Athletes for a Fit Planet.
2011- Achieved a two-year, Silver certification from the Council for Responsible Sport
2012- Received Austin Resource Recovery's Event Recycling Rebate

As a trendsetter in green event production, the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® staff has consulted with other national events and has worked with the City of Austin on the creation of a Green Events Ordinance. 

2012 will bring even more innovation, collaboration and initiatives designed to raise the bar for other events.

Green Tickets

Green Tickets

Thanks to our partner Green Mountain Energy Company, you’ll run confidently with the priceless satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped neutralize your impact on Mother Earth. When registering for the Austin Marathon, purchase a $3 Green Ticket to help offset a portion of the CO2 emissions created by your travel to the event. Your purchase supports certified carbon offset projects and helps take action against climate change.  Each green ticket balances out 220 pounds of CO2 emissions.

At Conley Sports, we understand that the production of Austin Marathon and Half Marathon has an emissions footprint associated with it.  The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, for the fourth year in a row, has partnered with Green Mountain Energy to extend the opportunity for runners to offset a portion of their emissions created by traveling to and from the race.  Runners have taken action in 2012 and purchased almost 1,000 Green Tickets.  This unique program resulted in the purchase of approximately 215,000 pounds of carbon offsets from the SouthTex Greenwoods Farm Landfill in Tyler, TX (See images of landfill gas projects below)!  This purchase has the same environmental benefit as:

• Approximately 237,000 miles not driven; or
• Nearly 62,000 houses turning off lights for one day; or
• Recycling a stack of newspaper over 7,100 feet high!

To date, Austin Marathon and Half Marathon runners have purchased over 3,090 Green Tickets.  These purchases have offset over 1.1 million pounds of CO2 emissions, a harmful gas that is the leading cause of climate change.

What does offsetting 1.1 million lbs. of CO2 really look like?  It has about the same environmental impact as:

• Taking over 37,000 cars  off the road for one day; or
• The amount of CO2 absorbed by approximately 69,000 trees in one year; or
• 48,000 houses turning off lights for one week; or
• Recycling over 2.8 million  aluminum cans; or
• The height of recycled newspaper stack totaling 38,000 feet!

For more information on projects supported by Green Mountain Energy Company, visit: http://www.greenmountain.com/about-us/projects-we-support

CARBON OFFSETS, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

Our Green Friends