With concern for the environment at an all time high, organisers of the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross along with sponsors Clif Bar and Crank Brothers, are taking steps to make the event environmentally friendly with a goal of making each event 'Zero Waste.' The goal of 'Zero Waste' is to divert as much solid waste as possible from landfill or incineration through recycling and composting efforts.
Landfills aren't just unsightly, they are also one of the largest producers of a strong greenhouse gas, methane, which is a major contributor to global warming.
In order to reduce landfill waste, USGP organizers are providing support and mechanisms onsite to reduce the amount of trash produced. At each event in the six-race series there will be multiple stations for recycling and composting with directional signs letting spectators know which items go in each station. The series is also using 'Greenware' and other products at each venue that can be recycled or composted.
At the first series event in Louisville the zero waste efforts yielded a 75.6% diversion rate which translates to saving two trees, 918 kilowatt hours of energy, 846 gallons of water, and diverting 3900 pounds of compost materials from the landfill. Even with more than 5,000 spectators over the two day weekend, the Louisville event yielded just 12 bags of trash.
"The US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross is the premiere 'cross series in the US but our goal is to also take a leadership role in making our events environmentally sustainable through our 'Zero Waste' implementation," said Bruce Fina, Executive Director, US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross. "Clif Bar and Crank Brothers have done a tremendous job of helping to drive this initiative and we have received tremendous support from each municipality on our Zero Waste efforts.
Team Clif Bar's Ben Turner added, "Zero Waste is a core belief of Team Clif Bar's "sustainable cycling" mission. Louisville really embraced the Zero Waste idea and helped us achieve a 75% diversion rate -- meaning only 25% of the total waste generated ended up in the landfill."
Sponsor Crank Brothers is extremely supportive of the efforts being made by the Series and Team Clif Bar. "We are thrilled to see that both the Series that we support and Team Clif Bar have taken such a leadership role in this area," said Christina Orlandella, Crank Brothers. "Crank Brothers is supporting this effort by donating the first $2,000 in sales of Crank Brothers merchandise at the USGP to offsetting the cost of implementing this Zero Waste initiative."
The Zero Waste efforts will also be implemented in the next two stops of the USGP – Mercer County, NJ and Portland, OR.
