FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GO! St. Louis® Steps Up Effort to Produce
2009 Earth-Friendly Event
Community Partners Aquafina, Ameren UE, Waste Management
and Schlafly Join Green Initiative
ST. LOUIS (MO) – March 30, 2009 – GO! St. Louis, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization that specializes in presenting fitness events and programs for
the region on a year-round basis, announced today an effort to decrease the
carbon footprint of the GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend, which draws
20,000 competitors and an estimated 30,000 additional spectators. The 9th
annual event will be held on April 18 & 19, 2009 in Forest Park and
downtown St. Louis. GO! St. Louis will be joined in the effort by Aquafina,
Pure Power by Ameren UE, Waste Management and Schlafly Beer.
"Prior to last year's event, we made it a priority to produce an event that
was more green-friendly and we made some great strides towards that goal,
so in 2009 we wanted to build upon that effort," said Nancy Lieberman, GO!
St. Louis president. "We have aligned ourselves with community partners
that are at the forefront of many local and national green initiatives,
which will greatly enhance the experience. With any large-scale event, a
great deal of stress is put on our environment, so we will continue to look
for ways to reduce the impact," she continued.
Aquafina® launched its national green campaign last year at the GO! St.
Louis weekend and has spent the past year, visiting communities to educate
and provide support to large-scale events such as MLB's 2008 All-Star
Concert in New York's Central Park and Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia.
Aquafina returns in 2009 with a renewed commitment to make the race one of
the greenest in the United States. Aquafina's green team will be very
visible in and around the finish line and family reunion areas. Look for
more than 20 kiosks and recycling bins in high traffic areas. In addition,
Aquafina will be introducing the new Eco-Fina Bottle™, the lightest
half-liter bottle of any nationally distributed bottled water brand in the
market. With this innovation, Aquafina has reduced the amount of plastic in
its half-liter package by 50% since 2002.
"Consistent with GO! St. Louis' intent to reduce their impact on the
environment and provide environmental leadership, we are proud to provide
water in our new Eco-Fina Bottle™, as well as recycling support for
the event," said Andrea Seek, Aquafina Senior Brand Manager. "Events of
this kind increase awareness of the importance of recycling and encourage
people to recycle in their everyday lives."
Pure Power by Ameren UE is a new partner in 2009 and will essentially
eliminate energy consumed during two-day Health & Fitness Expo by
purchasing emission-free energy certificates from Missouri Wind. This
effort is a carbon reduction equivalent to taking eight cars off the road
for a year and means cleaner air for runners and walkers. Ameren UE stepped
to the forefront of the local energy offset effort in 2007 by launching
Pure Power, which now has numerous companies and organizations
participating. In addition, the program has offset carbon emissions at
events such as St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues games and various
concerts and local festivals.
Waste Management joins the effort by coordinating the collecting, sorting
and recycling of thousands of pounds of waste generated over the fitness
weekend. Waste Management volunteers will be stationed around the finish
line area to monitor and remind participants to dispose of waste in an
earth-friendly manner.
Waste Management is a national leader in reducing the amount of waste
produced residentially, commercially and for numerous large events.
Schlafly Beer, a local brewery and community partner for many of the
region's festivals and events, will be serving participants post-race beer
in recyclable cups. As an overall company commitment, Schlafly promotes
green living by purchasing energy certificates to offset power and
coordinate programs that encourage recycling of cardboard six-pack carriers
and glass bottles.
The City of Saint Louis along with green partner Pepsi Americas will
provide additional recycling support during the weekend. The City of Saint
Louis has championed the local green effort by assisting and encouraging
large events and festivals to produce events that are green-friendly.
In addition to the support provided by the green community partners for the
weekend, GO! St. Louis overall commitment includes contracting with Johnny
on the Spot to use earth-friendly chemicals in more than 270 restroom
facilities, utilizing more than 110,000 bio-degradable cups at various
sections along the race course and promoting the use of alternative
transportation to and from the event.
The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend is a two-day event with races for
all ages and fitness levels. The various races take place in Forest Park on
Saturday, April 18 and downtown St. Louis (13th & Market Street) on Sunday,
April 19. The weekend features a Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay,
5K run/walk, Read, Right & Run Marathon, Children's Fun Runs and a Mature
Mile. For additional information, visit gostlouis.org.
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