According to McGilliard: “When the Council for Responsible Sport was founded, our niche was the certification of sustainable events. To date, 31 different triathlons and running races worldwide have met our certification standards, with another six events in the queue to be certified or recertified by the end of the year. Now we are ready to take the next logical step by bringing major players in the sports event industry together through a peer-to-peer learning forum to share best practices, spur innovations, leverage procurement opportunities and develop recommended sustainability goals we hope will be adopted by key stakeholders in the sports industry. Ultimately, we hope this Community of Practice will inspire other members of the sports industry to reduce their environmental footprint.”
“TriSports.comis excited to become a Founding Member of the Council for Responsible Sport’s Community of Practice,” said Debbie Claggett, Vice President of TriSports.com. “The values of the Council closely mirror the values we hold close at TriSports.com, number one on the list being sustainability in sport. CRS is working to bring together the industry through this Community of Practice to help ensure the future of sports is a strong and sustainable one. As a sponsor of the CRS Silver Certified Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits of CRS Certification. We look forward to working with CRS as a partner in this innovative collaboration!”
“TriSports.com epitomizes the level of commitment we are looking for in a Founding Member of the Events Community of Practice,” McGilliard added. “Their Deuces Wild Triathlon achieved CRS Silver Certification in June of 2010, and their day-to-day commitment to a sustainable business model is exemplary.”
In addition to TriSports.com, the list of Founding Members for the Sports Events Community of Practice includes the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon, Big Sur Marathon Events, Lilac Bloomsday Run, Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, Flying Pig Marathon, Atlanta Track Club, Williams Route 66 Marathon, ING Hartford Marathon, USRowing and Portland Triathlon.
Event directors and/or sponsors do not have to be certified by the Council for Responsible Sport to apply for membership in the Sports Events COP. They must, however, be committed to sharing resources, experiences and tactics in the pursuit of organizing more sustainable sports events.
The format for the COP is based on 90-minute monthly conference calls with COP members. Calls are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month, and will be moderated by Keith Peters, author of Road Race Management’s Guide to Greener Running Events, and a running industry veteran for over 30 years. Each month, COP participants will explore a different topic, such as community engagement and education in recycling, or equipment and materials – innovations in going green. In addition, there will be two workshops scheduled to explore these topics more fully: energy and waste, and how to track and publicize your sustainability initiatives.
Interested sports event organizers should address questions about COP membership directly to Marisa McGilliard at (503) 863-6892 or Marisa@CouncilForResponsibleSport.org.
About the Council for Responsible Sport
The Council for Responsible Sport is about inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. As a Council, we were founded in 2007 to empower producers of sports events with a valuable roadmap and the resources necessary to incorporate tenets of social and environmental responsibility into their organizations. The mission of CRS is to partner with and empower stakeholders in the sports industry as catalysts for sustainable change. From half marathons to football games, lacrosse to snowboarding, the Council believes athletes and spectators alike have the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt sustainable practices. In addition to administering a certification for sports events, CRS also offers peer-to-peer learning communities and access to online tools, case studies and strategic partnerships to assist the myriad of leaders and businesses actively engaged in the sports industry with their efforts in going green.
CRS Certified races range in size from the NSKS Run for Food and Shelter in Nashua, New Hampshire, with just 816 runners, to the Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane, Washington, with over 55,000 runners. To date, 31 different events have achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. A complete listing of CRS Certified events can be found at: http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/certification/certified-events/
For more information, contact:
Marisa McGilliard
Executive Director
Council for Responsible Sport
Marisa@CouncilForResponsibleSport.org
(503) 863-6892
Keith Peters
Eco-Logistics
Keith@Eco-Logistics.biz
(307) 690-6803
Debbie Claggett
Vice President
TriSports.com
Debbie@TriSports.com
(520) 884-8744 ext. 32