FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York Road Runners Joins United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change as a Signatory of its Sports for Climate Action Framework
The organizer of the world's largest marathon looks to bolster
its sustainability strategy and strengthen year-round practices
New York, September 23, 2019 - New York Road Runners (NYRR), the organizer
of the TCS New York City Marathon, announced today that it has joined the
UNFCCC's Sports for Climate Action Framework. By joining other industry
leaders as a signatory, NYRR acknowledges its responsibility to strive
toward climate neutrality and the major opportunity the sports sector is
faced with to operate sustainably.
"New York Road Runners is excited to join leaders from across the sports
world in the movement for sports climate action and further enhance our
commitment to ensuring our events, programs, and locations are playing
their part to lessen our footprint," said Michael Capiraso, president and
CEO of NYRR. "We're committed to improving the health of communities
through running which aligns us with the vision of the UNFCCC's Sports for
Climate Action Framework and the other signatories."
As a signatory, NYRR will prioritize the framework's emphasis on
undertaking systemic efforts for greater environmental responsibility,
reducing overall climate impact, educating and sharing knowledge, promoting
sustainable and responsible consumption, and advocating for climate action.
NYRR has a long-standing, year-round commitment to better the communities
that host its races, community events, and youth programs. Throughout the
year at events, including the TCS New York City Marathon, NYRR works with
vendors and city agency partners to divert waste. For more than a decade,
NYRR has utilized a single-stream recycling method, diverting on average
more than 80% of the waste collected. At the 2018 TCS New York City
Marathon, 82% of the 222 tons of waste collected by NYRR was diverted from
local landfills.
Additionally, through its partnership with The Trust for Public Land, the
organization is transforming New York City public school schoolyards into
state-of-the-art community playgrounds that include green infrastructure
design elements, a hallmark of The Trust for Public Land. Features such as
specialized plantings and porous pavement help reduce storm runoff. Each
playground absorbs hundreds of thousands of gallons of water annually and
includes 20-30 new trees that bring shade and better air quality to its
neighborhood.
"While New York Road Runners has a long history of implementing sustainable
practices within all aspects of what we do, we're excited to evolve our
overall strategy to enhance that long-standing commitment to the
environment," said Jim Heim, race director and senior vice president of
events at NYRR. "Over the next few years we will launch a number of new,
innovative, and sustainable practices across our events, programs, and
facilities."
To enhance its sustainability commitment and identify action items, NYRR
will work with Waste Management Sustainability Services as its
sustainability advisor. Waste Management Sustainability Services
specializes in working with sports venues and events to determine their
sustainability goals. The company will provide recommendations to achieve
goals for stakeholder engagement, material management, water conservation,
greenhouse gas mitigation, and sustainability reporting.
"Managing comprehensive sustainability programs for the largest PGA TOUR
event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open, as well as stadiums and large
events across the country, provides us with a unique perspective on NYRR's
facilities and events," said Lee Spivak, managing principal of Waste
Management Sustainability Services. "We understand the challenges that come
with baselining, implementing, and continually improving sustainable sport
initiatives, while also helping various operations, venues, events, and
stakeholder engagements evolve."
Waste Management Sustainability Services will evaluate NYRR's
infrastructure, build a baseline management plan for NYRR events, and
create platforms for more frequent and transparent data collection and
reporting.
More information on NYRR's year-round sustainability commitment is
available here.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR's mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958,
New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world's
premier community running organization. NYRR's commitment to New York
City's five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running
initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New
Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands
of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation,
know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR's premier event, and the
largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held
annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners,
from the world's top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive,
recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
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