Just because you take part in a human powered sport doesn’t make you eco-friendly. If you’re a runner, swimmer, biker, etc. you may not be using any carbon to fuel your passion, but there are many other things that affect your total impact, including sporting events. In fact large sporting events raise a variety of concerns when it comes to environmental impact, including waste, distances traveled to get to events, materials used, etc. Just think of the paper cups you see lying on the ground during a big marathon and you get the picture.

But big events don’t have to be environmentally un-friendly. That’s the idea behind Council for Responsible Sport (ReSport). The organization is a third-party, independent group formed in Portland, OR to provide comprehensive certification for sustainable athletic events. The ultimate goal is to not simply grade events on how well they’re doing, but to provide a holistic set of standards and guidance tools that can be used to measure sustainability strategies within the sports industry. “The greatest change will come when every member of the sports community becomes involved in a fundamental shift towards sustainability. Community partners and strong alliances alike are at the heart of perpetuating systemic change in sports,” says Marisa McGilliard, Executive Director of Council for Responsible Sport.

ReSport certified events adhere to principles in five different categories: Waste, Climate, Materials & Equipment, Community & Outreach, and Health Promotion. When an event seeks certification, one credit is awarded for each standard met. Because ReSport acknowledges that sometimes sustainable actions can’t always be gauged according to strict guidelines, “three additional credits are available for innovative practices not defined in the standard.”

ReSport has currently certified 9 events, including the Nike Women’s Marathon and the LA Marathon. Although currently mainly focused on running initiatives, in the future, ReSport hopes to expand to encompass more types of events, in turn achieving the ultimate goal of inspiring industry-wide change. “ReSport is about inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration to create a sustainable future for sport.  From half marathons to football games, lacrosse to snowboarding, each of us as an athlete, spectator, or director has the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt standards of environmental and social responsibility,” says McGilliard.

[Photo: ReneS, Flickr]