Badgerland Striders Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Implements Environmental Sustainability Measures

Written by: Karin Schwartz, Plastic-Free MKE Member
January 10, 2020

Initiative Leaders:
Karin Schwartz, PhD, Sustainability Captain, 2019 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon & Mary Bolich, Lakefront Marathon Sustainability Team

For the first time in the 39 years of the Lakefront Marathon, an Environmental Plan was developed and implemented to reduce the amount of waste and subsequent negative impact on the environment. As a conservation biologist working on endangered species recovery programs, I have seen firsthand, the impact of pollution and wasteful practices on our environment that is affecting not only humans but species worldwide. Especially insidious is the amount of plastics that end up littering our cities, our waterways and oceans, and compromising the health of humans and many other species. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 8% of plastic products are recycled with the rest going to landfills or ending up in our waterways and oceans. As a frequent participant in beach and river clean-up projects (via Riverkeepers), I have found that plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps, cigarette filters, and broken-down plastic pieces are by far the most numerous objects that I have picked up. 

I have been an active member of the Badgerland Striders for over 20 years. I participated in many of the Fun Runs and shorter races (5K, 10K, 4 and 5 milers) and have been volunteering at the longer ones (20K, half marathons, marathons, and marathon build-up runs) at registration tables, as a sentry, and staffing water stops. For the past couple of years, I have served as a Captain at the Info Booth/Volunteer Check-in at the Lakefront Marathon. I noticed that at many Strider events, there was little or no opportunity for recycling of cans and plastic bottles. At the 2018 Build-Up Runs for the Lakefront Marathon, I became concerned that all these recyclable items were going into the trash cans, destined for landfill. It was time to step forward and take action to rectify this situation. Lakefront Marathon Race Director Scott Stauske asked me to take the lead as Sustainability Captain for the 2019 running of the Lakefront Marathon. 

Lakefront Marathon Sustainability Program

Mission: Create an environment of sustainability that offers sufficient support for the runners and is as waste-free as possible for the 2019 Lakefront Marathon (6.October.2019) and Build-up Runs (beginning 29.June.2019 and held every Saturday until the LFM). This will entail using green practices in managing waste from water stops and Finish Line Area to focus on reducing our impact on the environment through recycling, composting, and decrease in use of single use plastic water bottles. 

Lakefront Marathon Expo - Saturday, October 5, 2019

I presented a poster display on the LFM Sustainability Program at the Badgerland Strider booth at the LFM Expo – with the issues of plastic pollution on the left panel (reason for the program), the Environmental Plan mission and process in the center panel, and the sustainability volunteers and evaluation process on the right panel. Many runners, some of which were from out of town, stopped by and were surprised and pleased to see the sustainability measures that would be taken. 

Sustainability Measures at the Lakefront Marathon

Almost Waste-free Aid Stations (13 stations)

• Used compostable, biodegradable cups for water and for Gatorade that could be processed by an industrial compost company rather than go to landfill. 

• Used separate garbage bins for compostable cups, recycling (plastic Gatorade jugs and single use water bottles) and landfill waste (there should be none from the runners). Compostable cups were collected in BPI certified compostable bags.

•   Provided boxes for recycling nutrition gel wrappers 

•   Had special garbage monitors which ensured that the runners threw their cups in the bins designated for composting and gel wrappers were discarded in the recycling boxes. PlasticFree MKE was approached with a request for volunteers and four members responded. 

• Cardboard bins and supply boxes were flattened, taken to the Finish Area, and deposited in the Summerfest Recycling Dumpster.

• Implemented an evaluation plan – counted and weighed the bags of cups at each Aid Station to quantify the amount of compostables that would not go to landfill. Reported this impact to the runners, the Badgerland Striders community, and the media.

Sentry Volunteers

In previous years, the sentries were given a plastic grocery bag with a single use plastic water bottle and some snacks as refreshments. One of the four Sentry Captains approached me to find a green alternative to the plastic bags and plastic water bottles. I recommended that she use snack bags that were reusable, disposable, and compostable. Thus, the 26 sentries under her management were given these compostable bags and encouraged to bring their own filled water bottle as no single use water bottle was included in the snack bag. 

Finish Line at Summerfest Grounds

• Finishers were given the option of a single use plastic bottle of water. Prior to race day, we had a marketing campaign to encourage them to bring a re-usable container or refill their water bottle at a re-fill station. They could also have a family member/friend meet them at the Finish Line with a filled reusable water bottle instead of taking a single use plastic water bottle.

• There were two Hydration Stations with 8 hoses each to refill water bottles.

• Recycling bins were available for recycling plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

• Cardboard boxes from the merchandise and food areas were flattened and stacked and deposited in the Summerfest Recycling Dumpster.
  

The (Green) Race Results 

• 800 pounds of compost collected in 115 biodegradable bags

• 350 pounds of compost went to an industrial composting company, diverted from landfill. 

• 34.5 pounds of recyclable material was collected from the Aid Stations and recycled at the Summerfest Grounds Finish Area

• Reduction of single-use plastic water bottles at the Finish Area was achieved with hydration stations for refilling reusable water bottles
  

The amount of plastic and garbage in our lakes, rivers and oceans, including a yearly average of about 22 million pounds of plastic in the Great Lakes, is an overwhelming global problem affecting the health of fish and other species as well as the quality of our drinking water. Implementation of the Lakefront Marathon Environmental Plan is just the beginning of finding the best ways to support runners yet use sustainable practices to reduce the environmental impact of our events.