Go Green

The Susan G. Komen– Greater Roanoke Valley Affiliate - Race for the Cure will strive, with every recycled water bottle and donated pair of gently used running/walking shoes, to make our event an environmentally conscious one.  Our goal is environmental, community and personal sustainability. 

As runners and walkers we are people who enjoy the environment.  We seek out the beautiful places that make us feel alive, free of trash and pollution, and many times we find ourselves where cars can’t go – on greenways and trails.  It is therefore only natural that we want our “carbon footprint” to be a relatively clean one.  When costs permit, we want to use eco-friendly products and deploy all the womanpower we can to champion the recycling effort.

Guiding Principles for the Race:

1. Water bottle recycling:  One of the biggest areas of waste at a typical running/walking event is the excessive number of water bottles.  We will have designated areas to deposit used and emptied containers and we will recycle them.

2.  Cardboard recycling:  Over the course of this event we will accumulate a lot of boxes.  They will contain t-shirts, food, fruit, drinks, and paper products.  We will collect and break down all the cardboard and then recycle it.  

3.  Online registration:  We will save a small forest by striving to have virtually all of our registration done online, eliminating the need for a vast number of printed entry forms and unnecessary paperwork.

4.  Printed materials:  For those materials that do need to be printed we should strive to use certified recycled paper printed with non-toxic ink.  Where possible we will minimize paper usage by printing front and back.

5.  Re-useable goodie bags:  Not only is it eco-friendly but it’s smart and functional.  We will strive to have all race participants receive reusable bags with their race goodies stuffed inside, eliminating disposable plastic bags.  After enjoying all the great stuff inside we will encourage people to recycle any paper items in the bags.

6.  Donating clothes:  A race in April can start out with a chilly morning.  We will encourage participants to bring “sheddable” layers they’d like to have donated.  All clothing items left at the start of the race or along the way will be donated to charity.

7.  Donating and recycling shoes:  If you have an old pair or two of running/walking shoes that are too good to be thrown out bring them to the race site and we will recycle them through Fleet Feet Shoes.  

8.  Encourage carpooling:  Not only does it cut down on emissions and save gas, but it also alleviates traffic and parking woes. 

A green race is something we must commit to and gradually build on as ability and resources permit.  We will strive to host as much of a green race as we realistically and reasonably can.