HOUSTON – The Council for Responsible Sport announced on
Tuesday that the Houston Marathon Committee has been awarded a Gold
Certification for its sustainability efforts while conducting the 2013
Chevron Houston Marathon event weekend.  The Houston Marathon Committee
(HMC) is now one of only eight organizations ever to achieve this
distinction since the Council launched its certification program in
2008.

The three-day event weekend generated 17.74 tons of waste,
83% of which was diverted out of landfills.  The HMC recycled 11.27 tons
and composted 3.45 tons, while sending 3.02 tons to landfills.  The
integrated planning efforts of the HMC, corporate partners, the GRB
Convention Center, Discovery Green, Waste Management, and green crew
volunteers made this initiative a reality. 

“We have a responsibility to the local communities, to our
loyal participants, and our corporate partners to operate responsibly in
regard to environmental and social best practices,” stated Wade
Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee.  “We are
grateful that the Council of Responsible Sport has created a
quantifiable method to measure success in these areas, and to garner a
gold certification in the second year of this initiative is truly
gratifying.”

For the past three years, the HMC has partnered with Waste
Management and their Sustainability Services to incorporate their
greening efforts into every stage of the race weekend events. Waste
Management donates sustainable port-o-lets and assists with the HMC’s
waste collection, removal and diversion to their state-of-the-art
recycling and composting center.

“Last year, the Houston Marathon Committee took on the
ambitious challenge of having both the 2012 Chevron Houston Marathon and
U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials certified by the Council for Responsible
Sport,” said Keith Peters, Executive Director of the Council. “Their
dedication to continuous improvement in the areas of environmental and
social responsibility is truly remarkable.  People often think of our
certification as being all about environmental responsibility, but over
half of the credits pertain to socially responsible things like
community involvement, promoting healthy lifestyles and inclusion. The
Chevron Houston Marathon scores well in every category.”

The HMC earned 52 of the 55 credits for which it applied. 
This included credits for collaborating with the Houston Fire Department
to produce a Hands-Only CPR Awareness video for training race
attendees, in addition to partnering with Hirsch Elementary School to
assist with their Dream Team Recycling Rally.

Here is a partial list of the many successful sustainability initiatives implemented in 2013:

The HMC partnered with Virtual Race Bags to eliminate the printing and distribution of over 15,000 pounds of paper. 
100% online registration for the Chevron Houston Marathon event weekend
3,700
pounds of the clothing discarded at the start of the races was
collected and given to Star of Hope Mission, a local agency dedicated to
meeting the needs of Houston’s homeless.
1,223 pound (978 pairs) of old running shoes were collected and donated to SEARCH Homeless Services.
Of the 93 vehicles used for race operations, 57% used alternative fuel (electric)
The
HMC’s relationships with Clif Bar allowed 73% of GU packets distributed
at EXPO and the race course to be collected, terracycled and created
into products for additional use. 
8,930 pounds of unused bottled water and food from the post-race party was donated to the Houston Food Bank
The HMC implemented 100% no Styrofoam policy

In addition to the metrics above, the impact or footprint of a number of other aspects were measured:

The carbon footprint of Chevron Houston Marathon participants traveling to and from the event totaled 1,765 metric tonnes.
The carbon footprint of event related operations for the Houston Marathon was 2.75 metric tonnes.
The
water footprint attributed to the Houston Marathon was 295,000 gallons.
Due to water conservation measures in place in the LEED Certified
George R. Brown Convention Center, it is estimated that some 20% less
water was used than would have been in a conventional building.
All
grey and black water from portable sanitation stations were transported
to a wastewater treatment plant, while liquid waste containers were
provided throughout the George R. Brown Convention Center to allow
runners to empty beverage containers prior to recycling them.

For more information on the Houston Marathon Committee’s green initiatives, please visit  http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/GeneralInfo/GreenInitiative.cfm.    

About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.

Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
(HMC), a Running USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation’s
premier winter marathon, half-marathon, and 5K. Over 250,000
participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston Marathon
Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston.  Race Weekend
generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. 
Host to 12 U.S. Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992
women’s Olympic Trials Marathon, HMC conducted the nationally-televised
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, which featured men and women
competing on the same course simultaneously for the first time, vying
for the chance to represent Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games. 

For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.