Six “running-centric” strides to help the environment
Posted March 12th, 2007 at 10:30 AM by Paul Petersen
Section: Columns, SPOTLIGHT
Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was a powerful and enlightening documentary. While viewing it in the theater last year, I was inspired by the tips that rolled during the ending credits on how to take action and make a positive environmental impact. As the movie’s website phrases it:
“You have the power to make a difference. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big changes in helping to stop global warming.”
This statement both challenged and motivated me. Changes need to come from both the top-down and the bottom-up. It’s not just national and state governments’ responsibility to fix problems, but also my own! Personal responsibility is a powerful concept in the workplace, in our relationships, and yes, in the environment.
While there are many methods for making a positive difference in the environment through day-to-day living, my “running-centric” view of life leads me to relate everything to running. So I pondered the question, what can I do as a runner to aid the environment in which I live and play? Below are some of the ideas I came up with …
1) “Run” your errands! So many of our car trips are performed just to purchase one or two small items before driving immediately home. Short trips with lots of starts and stops result in poor gas mileage. A solution could be to grab these small items during our daily runs. Just the other day I needed to pick up a few things at the grocery store, and did so near the end of an 8-mile run. The downshot was running home with a couple pounds of groceries for the last 1.5 miles, but it proved to be easier than I thought. Plus I killed two birds with one stone, giving me more time later in the night to spend with my family!
This might difficult for some rural runners, but for those of us who live in urban settings, “running” (or cycling, etc.) your errands can be reasonably easy and efficient to do on a regular basis, with a little planning. This same idea can be used for running to work, running to school, and running to appointments. Yes, yes, sometimes running is not appropriate (showing up to an interview lathered in sweat would not be good), but in many other circumstances it is a viable (and healthy!) form of transportation. Running errands with your feet rather than you car will add up over time to substantial amounts of saved fuel (and $$$!!).
2) Use rechargeable batteries for gadgets. In these modern times, running often involves more than just a pair of shoes and a well-developed cardiovascular system…now we have our gadgets. GPS units, mp3 players, foot PODs, and even cameras are common gadgets found in many runners’ daily arsenal of “equipment”. These items often seem to chew through batteries z9except for those that using rechargeable lithium-ion batteries) which contain heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, and lead) that can contaminate our air, ground, and water when disposed in landfills and other facilities.
A simple solution is to invest a few dollars into rechargeable batteries and a small charger. For the cost of couple pizzas, I was able to purchase a pack of AA and AAA batteries, along with an “all-in-one” charger that is compatible with AA, AAA, C, D, and 9-volt. So now when my GPS or mp3 player goes dead, I can just pop in a couple of fresh batteries, and throw the old ones into the charger rather than in the waste basket. This will not only help the earth, but also your wallet over time. Oh, and those old, non-rechargeable batteries? Recycle them!
3) Carpool to races. The town I live in has few competitive races during the year, so I have to “commute” 45 to 85 miles (each way!) to find a decent road race. Assuming I race 12 times in one year and drive an average of 120 miles round-trip, that equates to nearly 1500 miles of driving and 60 gallons of gas! And I’m just one person … this trend accumulates quickly when you consider how many people drive considerable distances to run a race!
Fortunately, I managed to find a few other people in my town who do the same races as me, and we started a race carpool. Over the last couple months we have been racing every other week, and have been trading off the driving duties. This has saved a tremendous amount of gas compared to if we had all driven separately, not to mention a good amount of money. Furthermore, getting up early and driving to a race and then back home is a lot more fun with good company! It’s a win-win situation, and should be employed for any races outside of your immediate locality.
4) Fuel your body with products free of pesticides and fertilizers. Running demands substantial energy from our bodies, and subsequently we are constantly refueling and consuming a relatively high amount of calories. The foods we choose will not only impact our running performance, but also indirectly affect the environment in one way or another. Foods that are free of pesticides and fertilizers tend to leave a smaller ecological footprint … and are often healthier than other foods.
Organic and locally-grown foods are a good place to start. Some organic foods can be cost-prohibitive for runners on a budget (such as myself), but local farmers’ markets are great sources for fresh, healthy foods that were grown with minimal environmental impact. Fresh, local foods that are sold close to their source tend to be healthier and more nutrient-rich (better running fuel!), and also consume less fossil fuels in their growth, harvest, and transportation to sale. And again … they are usually cheaper! Am I starting to sound like a broken record? There is also a growing number of inexpensive organic brands available too, such as CLIF and Bear Naked products, among a multitude of others.
5) “Recycle” your running shoes. Like a lot of runners, I go through running shoes as fast as I do powdered Gatorade. A typical set of running shoes should be worn for 350-500 miles. At that rate, a 40-miles/week runner will “consume” 4-6 pairs of shoes in one year. A “mileage junkie” like myself who averages 70+ miles/week will blow through 7-10 pairs of shoes in a year! This means that over the last 10 years, I have thrown away upwards of 70-100 pairs of running shoes! This comes out to over 100 pounds of material! And that’s just me; the last I checked, there are hundreds of thousands of additional people that run regularly. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s true that once we hit that 350-500 mile mark a pair of shoes no longer meets our training standards, and should be replaced to avoid risking injury. But in reality, these shoes, which are generally used for just running on pavement, are in very good cosmetic and structural condition, and can still be used by other people for other purposes.
Along with our local thrift stores (ie - Salvation Army, Goodwill), there are a a number of great organizations that specialize in redistributing or recycling running shoes. One such group is Sole Responsibility, an Ottawa-based non-profit that donates used running and walking shoes to Sudanese refugees in Chad. Another unique program is Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, which collects and grinds up old or defective shoes, and then sorts and uses the resultant raw shoe materials to make new sports surfaces, such as tennis courts, basketball floors, and playgrounds. These athletic and recreational surfaces are then donated with the purpose of helping communities and youth fitness. I have only recently become aware of these programs, and I know I’ll never toss out a pair of shoes again!
6) Leave no trace. Whether running in the back-country, front country, or urban jungles, we should practice the principles of Leave No Trace:
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Don’t throw your GU packet on the ground, but rather pack it away until you find a waste repository. Run only on designated paths. Know where you are going and the nuances of the areas you will be running through. In general, focus on minimizing the impacts of your run in any and all ways that you can … and if you see someone else’s litter, pick it up!
These are merely some of the ideas that I’ve come across in my search for reducing my running “footprint” on the environment. What are some of your environmentally-friendly running ideas? Let us know my sending an email to: adam@thefinalsprint.com
Research sources and for more information: [An Inconvenient Truth], [Leave No Trace], [Sole Responsibility], [Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Program], [Adirondack Sports and Fitness], [Slow Food]
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: al gore, An Inconvenient Truth, Bear naked, bear naked granola, carpool, clif, clif bar, environment, farmers market, leave no trace, organic, rechargeable, recycle, run, running, running centric, shoes, sole responsibility
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March 12th, 2007 at 11:20 amHey Paul!
March 15th, 2007 at 7:01 amWhat a great article you just posted! Just want to let you know that I totally agree with you and that here, in Nairobi, I run everyday from my work to my place, with my backpack, for 50 minutes. It’s quicker, nicer and healthier even if it takes time to find a path that is not too polluted!