The Council for Responsible Sport provides an independent, comprehensive certification for sustainable athletic events. By defining realistic objectives and providing a framework for achieving them, ReSport enables event directors to incorporate environmental responsibility into their events while informing consumers which events adhere to the standards.

The problem
Ironman Hawaii hosted 1,787 athletes on Oct. 13, 2007. Of the starters, only 68 were from the state of Hawaii. Competitors traveled 18,312,992 miles round-trip to reach Kailua-Kona, and nearly all of them traveled by plane. Long airline flights generate an average of 1.3068 lbs of CO₂ equivalent per passenger mile.

Thus, athletes on the starting line of Ironman Hawaii produced 23,931,418 lbs (10,853 metric tonnes) of greenhouse gases getting to and from the race. This is equivalent to the yearly carbon footprint (electricity and natural gas) of 972 average American homes.

It would have cost $108,530 to offset this carbon by funding carbon-reducing projects managed by EcoSecurities.

The solution
Mass participation athletic events (marathons, triathlons, etc.) rarely consider environmental impact when making decisions. Landfill waste may be substantial, materials are often used once and discarded, and the distances traveled by participants are increasing. While the number of participants increases, harmful practices are becoming commonplace and the items used to stage events are chosen to favor profit margin.

With growing awareness of environmental responsibility in mainstream habits and media, sporting events provide the opportunity for high-profile realignment toward a planning model that takes into consideration environmental and social impact. In turn, responsible event production can build value for the event, its participants, and its host community.

The 2010 certification application can be found here.