MCRRC Green Team
The MCRRC Green Team is a newly formed group of MCRRC members with a goal to minimize the waste and carbon footprint generated by MCRRC events. See our reoccurring articles in the Rundown Crossroads publication.
Past Events
Pikes Peek 10K April 26, 2009
The Green Team collected 603 pairs of shoes for recycling and reuse through Nike Reuse-a-Shoe as well for reuse by donating to African countries through the Montgomery County Recycling Center.
Going Green Track Meet - Friday, August 7th
Our first official green race!!! Thanks to Race Director Jim Whitnah, the Green Team founders will be at the meet to help with environmental initiatives including recycling, composting, and even, a mini-shoe recycling drive. We’ll be happy to hear your ideas and share how you can volunteer and get involved in helping MCRRC go green! Please stop by and chat with us!
Parks Half Marathon September 13, 2009
A total of 698 pairs of shoes were collected. Nearly 500 of those went to Sierra Leone, where the Koinadugu Descendants Organization will distribute them to people who are recovering from the long civil war in the country. The remainder - nearly 200 pairs - were delivered to the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program. All of the shoes will have a new life and will help to reduce our carbon footprint. At the finish line, the Green Team helped with clean-up and recycling.
Halloween Young Run October 19, 2009
At the Halloween Young Run, Green Team volunteers braved the weather and collected over 400 pairs of shoes from both MCRRC runners as well as the sponsor, the NASA Federal Credit Union. An enormous amount of cardboard was recycled at the finish line. For this event, the Green Team went local for its beneficiary, and brought 304 pairs of shoes still with life in them to the interfaith clothing center in Gaithersburg. The center director was so appreciative of our efforts and assured me that the shoes will go to great use to those in need within our community, certainly far better than remaining in a closet or in a landfill.
The Green Team has recycled cardboard and plastic at the following races:
- Darcars Young Run 2008: recycled more than 700 pieces of cardboard
- Rockville 5K/10K 2008
- Turkey Burn-off 5M/10M 2008: recycled four bins of plastics and cardboard
- Jingle Bell Jog 8K 2008: recycled 1 bin of plastic and cardboard
- New Years Day 5K 2009
- Country Road 5M 2009: recycled 2.5 bins of plastic and cardboard
- Run Aware 5K 2009
- Difficult Run XC 2009
- Pike’s Peek 10K
- Sue and Connie’s Run 2009
- Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K