FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2013 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Earns Silver Certification from the
Council for Responsible Sport for its Social and Environmental Initiatives
November 12, 2013 - Portland, OR: The 2013 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon,
powered by P&G, has earned silver level certification from the Council for
Responsible Sport for efforts to reduce the event's environmental footprint
and increase its social impact. The Flying Pig Marathon's sustainability
program is titled Greening the Pig.
"The Flying Pig Marathon's list of accomplishments is long, as is its
commitment to supporting the missions of numerous charities while promoting
health and fitness, stimulating the local economy and galvanizing the
community," said Keith Peters, executive director of the Council for
Responsible Sport.
Among the many initiatives implemented and tracked throughout the 2013
event weekend, there were a few in particular that were notable and
innovative:
-64.8% of all waste was diverted from the landfill; of the 14.2 tons of
waste, 3.06 tons were composted and 5.88 tons were recycled.
-300 pounds of outdated vinyl banners were donated to Matthew 25
Ministries, which distributes them for reuse as building and tent materials
in developing regions.
-The event Expo featured a 'Green Zone' where sustainability efforts
were promoted in collaboration with five community partner groups. The area
offered sign-ups for carpool parking, sold recycled bags made of race bibs
and ribbons, and showed a sample recycling station.
-The Flying Pig partnered with Metro, the local mass transit provider,
to encourage participants and spectators to use public transportation on
the race weekend. 250 spectators made use of an event-specific discounted
day pass to enable people to support runners at various course locations
and make it back downtown for the finish all by bus.
"Greening is a huge undertaking for an event our size, but that's what also
makes it so very important," said Iris Simpson Bush, Flying Pig's executive
director. "We are committed to doing it as best we can and many local
organizations are now looking to us for suggestions and guidance. We so
appreciate and value the cooperation and support of our committee,
participants and the community at large."
The 16th annual Flying Pig Marathon, powered by P&G, will be held May 4,
2014. Registration is available at www.flyingpigmarathon.com
The Council congratulates the Flying Pig Marathon Staff and their Executive
Board of Directors for their accomplishments as well as their commitment to
an ongoing process of planning, deliberate actions, measuring progress and
continuous improvement.
About the Council for Responsible Sport:
Our vision is a world where responsibly produced sports events are the
norm.
Our mission is to provide objective, independent verification of the
socially and environmentally responsible work event organizers are doing,
and to actively support event organizers who strive to make a difference in
their communities.
Our Certification program provides a comprehensive method for event
directors to incorporate environmental and socially responsible initiatives
into their events, while informing stakeholders about events that adhere to
a rigorous set of standards. Certified events range in size from
ParalympicsGB Training Camps held at the University of Bath in the UK, with
some 150 athletes participating, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta,
Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers. To date, 58 different events have
achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over
786,000 athletes in the process.
The current version of the Council's Certification standards was developed
by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a
wide range of stakeholders. 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.
www.CouncilforResponsibleSport.org
About Cincinnati Marathon, Inc. and the Flying Pig Marathon:
The Cincinnati Marathon, Inc. a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization formed to
host the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, which raises money for charities.
Proceeds are donated to a list of over two hundred and fifty charities. The
mission of the Cincinnati Marathon, Inc. is to provide a premier event open
to athletes of all abilities that is dedicated to supporting charities. The
event seeks to inspire community celebration and reward the emotions of all
participants, sponsors, volunteers and spectators. Over the last 15 years,
the Flying Piganthropy program has helped participating charities to
collectively raise over $11 million.
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