by Larry Eder
Big Sur Half Marathon course, photo courtesy of BSIM
in the world, BS Half Marathon has not only repeated their award for sustainability, but they improved their performances in several categories!
The course is gorgeous. The first photo, I believe shows part of the old Butterfly to Breakers 10k course, which had this wicked hill about mile 4 to 6. The lower picture shows in the very background, Pacific Grove’s Lovers’ Point, which is one my favorite places on the planet. RBR encourages you to try and run this one. And congrats to the team at BSIM, who has taken some of the most beautiful running paths on the planet and added to them, not taken away from them!
Big Sur Half Marathon Earns Gold Certification
from the Council for Responsible Sport, Again
Earning all 36 CRS Certification credits it applied for, the Big Sur Half Marathon becomes the only event to achieve Gold CRS Certification in 2011.
December 19, 2011 – Portland, OR: Following up on their successful application for Gold Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) in November 2009, organizers of the Big Sur Half Marathon applied for re-certification from the Council this year. Out of a possible 41 sustainability credits, this year’s Big Sur Half Marathon applied for and received 36 certification credits – three more than were earned in 2009.
“Organizers of the Big Sur Half Marathon continue to raise the bar when it comes to producing a sustainable sporting event,” said Keith Peters, Executive Director of the Council for Responsible Sport. “Their waste diversion of 96% is unprecedented in any major sporting event, and they offered new green initiatives such as pedal-power to provide electricity, and community support through donations of unused food, discarded clothing and shoes to the local homeless shelter.”
Peters added, “Of particular note are the carbon offsets race organizers purchased from the local Monterey Bay Fund, which are certified by Green e Climate. Monterey Bay Fund carbon offsets are dedicated to solar projects in area nonprofit organizations and local schools.”
Big Sur Marathon’s Green Team Chair, Kristin Cushman, commends the team effort of the race organizers and volunteers and points out that even runners can engage with what the event is doing. “They can ride a bike to generate power, see the Zero Waste Team sorting trash at the finish line, or refill their reusable water bottles at one of our BYOB stations. Sustainability is about engaging people to take action and the Marathon goes above and beyond to do just that.”
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. CRS Certified races range in size from the Hawk Island Triathlon in Lansing, Michigan, with 689 finishers, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers. To date, 34 different events have achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over 500,000 athletes in the process.
The Council for Responsible Sport’s certification standards have been developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. CRS 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.
For more information about the Big Sur Half Marathon’s sustainability efforts, please refer to the case study of this year’s event, which is available as a PDF download from the CRS Web site
(http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BSHM-Case-Study-2011Final.pdf) A complete listing of CRS Certified events can be found at: http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/certification/certified-events/
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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.
About Big Sur Marathon Events:
The Big Sur International Marathon is a non-profit organization whose
purpose is to serve the community by producing a world-class marathon
and related fun events that raise funds for contribution to local
charities, while promoting health and fitness.
The marathon’s board of directors has made a commitment to focus on
sustainability for its two major events — the Big Sur International
Marathon and the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay — in order to
minimize the environmental impact on the community. The races take
place on the California coastline, which borders the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary and includes a national scenic byway.
