Happy Earth Day!

The Houston Marathon Committee is committed to reducing our environmental footprint and we are always looking for new ways to expand our green initiatives.

Through our first “green” partnership with Waste Management, we conducted a start-to-finish waste audit to fully understand our event’s green footprint, including our runners, spectators and volunteers. The ultimate goal is to earn the ReSport Certification in 2013 and join 21 certified athletic events worldwide.

Check out some of our “green stats” from the 2011 race weekend:

  • Per 22,000 runners, each runner contributed 0.78 pounds of waste versus the average 1.3 pounds per runner; GO HOUSTON!
  • Recycled 10,380 pounds of waste
  • Donated 100+ pounds of unused food to the Houston Food Bank
  • Used 350,000 compostable paper cups made from recyclable materials
  • Distributed 28,000 recyclable Tyvek bibs that will be used to make park benches
  • Handed out 26,000 reusable goodie bags to all race participants
  • Distributed 16,000+ Under Armour finisher shirts made from recycled plastic bottles

You too can help us reduce our environmental footprint by following these easy steps to becoming a green runner:

  • Ride your bike or carpool to group runs or workouts.
  • Buy powdered sports drinks and mix them yourself. Better yet, mix them in reusable bottles instead of throwaway plastic bottles.
  • Donate old running shoes. There are various organizations that will collect used running shoes and recycle them by breaking them down and reusing the materials, or sending them to third world countries. Find an organization, research it, and donate.
  • Purchase eco-friendly clothing. Under Armour offers a “green collection” of performance apparel made from recycled materials. Click here to check it out!
  • Don’t litter. Hold on to your water bottles, gel packs, and even excess clothing, until the next trash receptacle comes along. Be an example of a green runner to others!

A special thanks to our followers @Rwlindell and @No1jgirl for sharing their green running tips! And to thank you for your help, we’ll send you a “green” prize!

Are you a green runner? Share your green running ideas with us and you could win a “green” prize too!

HOUSTON “GREEN” SCENE

Looking for something to do this weekend to celebrate Earth Day? Check out what’s happening in Houston!

Earth Day Houston Festival

Join more than 15,000 patrons at Houston’s largest Earth Day celebration complete with family entertainment, environmental education, a Green Expo featuring consumer green products and services, and this year’s new eco landscaping green-gardening zone. Visit Discovery Green on Saturday, April 23 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. to join in the fun! Click here for event details.

Green 6.2 at CITY CENTRE

Run green at the Green 6.2 at CITY CENTRE this Saturday, April 23, 2011. The Green 6.2 is one of six qualifying 10K races for early race registration into the 2012 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Click here for event details.

What are you doing this weekend to celebrate Earth Day?