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February 2014 20 www.sportseventsmagazine.com its event footprint, he often has to collabo- rate with municipalities and venues to find creative solutions to reduce the environ- mental footprint of an event. The organiza- tion has worked to reduce its paper com- munication by nearly 90 percent and also leverages electronic communications including e-mail marketing systems, website communication, and information portals for coaches and parents. "We represent the sports planner and not the host city or sports venue. However, we look forward to working with our cities and venues to support their efforts in this area," he said. "We feel this is important not only for the obvious environmental advantages, but we also have the unique opportunity to set an example for the impressionable youth in our programs." Going forward, expectations are that the sustainability movement and the momen- tum behind it will continue to increase, and organizers and event venue operators will continue to look for ways to reduce the footprint of sports events. "Given how prominent such [sports] facilities are and the amount of people that experience them, the opportunity is pretty obvious," Kriss said. "The trend of greening large sports facilities has significantly increased the momentum around the overall green movement because these facilities are often flagship buildings that represent the spirit, pride and identity of communities. When they go green, it signifies that the community is going green." ■ ▼ SPECIAL Feature Organizers of the Jackson Hole Marathon encourage visitors to enjoy and appreciate the natural beauty of the community. The desire to promote sustain- able tourism led race organizers to make the event a "cup free" race, requiring all participants to bring their own hydra- tion. "Itʼs still unusual in marathons, but we hope to be a leader for change," said Kate Foster, communications manager with the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, USA gymnastics used the theme of Go Green for the Visa Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota. The focal point of the initiative was to eliminate printing of results, posting everything online. "We have maintained that ever since and especially with AT as a partner; we have continued to build most everything through a digital platform to save as much paper as possible at events," said USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny. What began as a way to save money and gain efficiency for the BC Games Society has led the organization to becoming green. Using biofuels in charter buses, developing "no idle" policies for automobiles and buses, insisting ath- letes bring a reusable water bottle and using compostable packaging helps keep the organizationʼs events greener and saves it money. A partnership between Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful and ClearStream Recycling ensures a turnkey approach to recycling at regional festivals and sports events such as the Baird Head of the Rock Regatta. Part of the regionʼs GoGreen initiatives, this effort has doubled collection of recyclables at the event. The World Karting Association (WKA) includes regu- lations in its competition rule books that specifically address flammables, emission controls, hazardous disposals and tire disposal. "Being in motorsports promotion, we have been thinking green for longer than green has even been thought about," said Kevin Williams, international liaison with WKA. Partially underwritten by Eco-First, the Powerboat Superleague started the Operation Green Pro in 2011. The organization provides two waste-disposal barrels to all Superleague events, one used for materials such as oily rags and other absorbent mate- rials not suitable for local trash collection, and the other used to collect old gear case oils, old fuels and other petroleum liquids. All materials are then properly recycled. The Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., initiated an environmental awareness program in 2008 support- ing energy efficiencies of mechanical equipment, increased water conservation, higher concentration of waste avoidance, increased recycling streams, and environmen- tally friendly food and beverage practices. To date the facility has recycled 66,302 pounds of paper, 18,519 pounds of plastic, 11,193 pounds of scrap metal and 2,097 aluminum cans. ■ Taking The Plunge Into green 1 2 5 6 7 Below are seven examples of sports events organizations or venues that are taking the plunge into the green movement. 3 4 *02-20 SE FEB 2014_SportsEvents TEMPLATE 2/11/14 10:36 AM Page 20