The Air Force Marathon is making a push to become a more environmentally friendly event. It takes a lot of resources to put together an event the size and caliber of the Air Force Marathon. That’s why we’re taking a look at what we can do to increase our sustainability. In 2019, we were a certified green event by the Council for Responsible Sport, reaching the Silver level. The council has five sustainability categories; Planning and Communication, Procurement, Resource Management, Access and Equity and Community Legacy. Our goal for this year is to reach the certified Gold Level.

What we have implemented:

• Shirts made of recycled material
• American made medals
• Purchasing Clear Stream containers for recycling and composting
• Runner bags will be made from recyclable material
• Recycled save the date cards
• Biodegradable boxes/mailers
• Biodegradable tape

What our participants can do:

• Stay at green certified hotels in the area.
• On race day, you can look for our clear stream containers to recycle or compost any items that you can. Our Green Volunteers will be there to help you.

We appreciate your efforts to help us reach our goals. You can find updates to our green program in our monthly newsletters.

2019 Accomplishments

In late 2018, we started working with the Council for Responsible Sport, an organization that helps events minimize their environmental impact and improve their communities. Their certification program measures the level of sustainability that an event has achieved. In the Air Force Marathon’s first year with the Council, we earned the Silver Certification. We are now one of five certified responsible events in Ohio of over 170 total certified events worldwide. Over the course of the next several years, we will be working toward the highest level of certification, Evergreen.

In 2019, we focused our attention on sustainability in the finish line area. The start and finish line banners were made from post-consumable waste, which can be reused year over year. The heat sheets were recyclable along with the selfie station and map tower material at the expo. Trash cans were replaced with trash stations, where waste was sorted between trash, recycling, and compost.

As an additional measure to show our commitment to sustainability, we have signed on with the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action framework. The official memo below is from 88 MSG Commander Col Burger, stating the promise of the Air Force Marathon to support the vision of this U.N. program.

Moving forward, we will be implementing additional sustainable measures into our expo, pasta dinner, and more. We are proud of the progress we’ve made so far, and we will keep working to improve the community and the environment around us.