Council for Responsible Sport Awards TD Beach to Beacon 10K Silver Certification
December tk, 2012 – Portland, OR: Council for Responsible Sport Executive Director Keith Peters announced today that the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race has earned Silver Certification from the Council.
Event organizers earned 45 of 51 possible certification credits by diverting 67 percent of the event’s waste from the landfill, calculating the carbon footprints of race operations (4.3 U.S. tons) and participant travel (223 U.S. tons), eliminating all pre-race printed marketing materials, and providing locally produced food and beverages to runners, just to name a few of the event’s sustainability initiatives.
“Over the years, the TD Beach to Beacon 10K has built a reputation as a sustainable event,” said Peters. “Race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a pleasure to formally confirm the fact that the 15th race was, indeed, produced to meet the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility, and has earned Silver Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport.”
“Each year our environmental program gets stronger, so this certification is a direct reflection of the dedicated and focused team effort between Fairchild Semiconductor, Athletes for a Fit Planet and the race committee to make it happen,” said Race President Dave Weatherbie of Cape Elizabeth. “It’s also important to note our title sponsor, TD Bank, shares our vision and has built a reputation of its own for its green initiatives.”
“The race celebrates pure sport and community while building awareness for the environment,” said race founder and Olympic Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. “Runners in the event who subscribe to carbon-reducing practices related to their participation in the race have helped this effort significantly.”
“Athletes for a Fit Planet has had the honor of working with the TD Beach to Beacon 10K since 2009 to help integrate sustainability practices into virtually all aspects of the race,” said Bruce Rayner, chief green officer of the company. “It’s a process that requires the commitment of everyone involved in the race, including race committee members, sponsors, service providers and volunteers. Earning silver certification from the Council is a testament to this broad-based commitment.”
Sustainability includes both environmental and social practices, which in 2012 came together through an innovative program that arranged with a local non-profit to recycle nearly 5,500 plastic bottles from the race and donated the money to the race’s official charity, the Center for Grieving Children. “These types of program helps to showcase what’s possible and can have a very positive impact on the relationship between the race and the local community,” said Rayner.
New initiative are being planned for the race in 2013. “We are evaluating a bicycle valet program for runners and volunteers as well as using biofuel in the generators, both aimed at helping reduce the race’s CO2 footprint,” says Rayner.
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 ReSport 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. ReSport 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, 43 different events have achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over 600,000 athletes in the process.
The current version of the ReSport Certification standards was developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. ReSport 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.
About The TD Charitable Foundation
The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $199 million and more than 19,400 grants through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including the online grant application, is available at TDBank.com.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In management services through TD Wealth ®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.