Tedford+Go+Fix+It

= Running **//Green //** =  ....solutions to help green one of the most popular hobbies in society today



Running is an ever growing hobby that has room to grow and foster environmental stewardship, ecologically innovative design and technology.

As the industry revolving around running continually grows, there is a lot of evidence to prove how running is not ecologically friendly. The heavily toxic ridden road to producing the newest shoe, produced mainly from petrochemicals, leaves behind it also many waste products and is usually "out-sourced" to other countries such as China. A few things to consider as far as components of the latest running shoe. The dyes that were used likely discharged heavy metals into the water used. What types of materials made your laces, what was the process to make the polyester used? What were the conditions in the factory that produced your shoes? (Williams, 2010) On average, runners can go through 2 to 5 pairs of shoes a year. The more serious the runner, the more shoes they go through. On average a runner that drives to their races and workouts year round emits 333 lbs of CO2 just by traveling. There are other smaller sources of greenhouse gases, toxics and environmental woes that can be found through other aspects of running. Apart from the shoes, the emissions climb when you consider the latest gear and seasonal wear required.
 * Running on Empty **

**﻿Many Ways to Step In** Although the matrix of issues surrounding this issue seem complex, there are many different facets involved with intervening.

 See additional resources (Don't Run Away Yet) for other locations of 'green runs'
 * **Patent Office Changes: **To not only promote the development of sustainable design of running shoes and apparel, but for all sustainable design, a special faction of the U.S. Patent office would encourage inventors and innovators to work toward green design. The entire purpose of the Patent Office is to promote sharing of ideas and developments. This way, green design would find its own place and others working on similar projects may find ways to collaborate better.
 * **Consumer Purchasing: ﻿ **On a personal level, it's always important to vote with your wallet. By showing, if you are a runner, that you care about green shoe designs and apparel you can help those businesses see that there is a place for their product, and a market that is ready for that technology. Ad campaigns that show the connection between ethical purchasing and health would be very effective in promoting sustainability amongst runners because runners already have more care for their health than the average person.
 * Ethics involved with purchasing is also an arena to consider as most sports apparel is made by essentially sweatshop labor. This is where the education piece comes in. Education on the ethics behind business, not just going ahead and doing the "cheapest thing" but also the right thing. Today in business it seems that "triple bottom line" approaches that take into account people as well as profit should help in this endeavor, but this is essentially another facet of "voting with your wallet."
 * **Environmental Connections: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> It's inherit in human nature that being in nature inspires awe and can be healing. By incorporating "sin tax" charges on using gyms or providing a way to see your carbon footprint from running on a treadmill, there may be incentive to purchase "self-fueling" exercise machines and more carbon neutral exercise. Apart from that, a higher expense to using the gym may encourage runners to be outdoors and potentially encourage environmental stewardship. There are many psychological benefits to being within nature according to a study done at Uppsala University. Psychological restoration was more present in individuals who ran through parks than urban regions. (Bodin, 2002)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Much like the fashion-blogging movement has changed the way styles have been communicated, several online movements in blogging have taken place in the running community balanced around the spiritual aspects of running. It can be assumed that most of these movements help to encourage environmental stewardship. Government sponsored infomercials could also help to this end. In the section (Don't Run Away Yet) there are also instances of ecological runners who pick up trash as they run.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">An idea for an infomercial or ad campaign could be similar to the "don't mess with Texas" concept, where a certain demographic was targeted and then charged to change their ways.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13.1944px;">**Race Day**: If there is one thing many runners, serious and otherwise, work toward it is the excitement of signing up for a race. Government subsidies to charities/organizations that sponsor these events for green initiatives or involve local businesses will not only be good for the environment but the community as well. If there is a level of "corporate responsibility" behind those sponsoring the race or event, it is inherit that it will attract more runners. A great example of this is the Live Strong Marathon in Austin, Texas which was recently voted the greenest race in the country. They use all internet based registration to eliminate paper waste, recycling services for anything you can think of, composting, generator powered energy efficiently, "no-idling" vehicle areas, public transit support and carbon offset sales among many other initiatives. (Recycle)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">These initiatives would involve runners everywhere in a global effort to change the way we view waste in our community and our purchasing ethics. Through government sponsored infomercials and subsidies communities and runners would be called to environmental stewardship based off of their already keen awareness of personal health and wellbeing. After drawing the connection between pollution and toxics to our own public health, it will be intrinsic that runners would feel called to action to make ethical, sustainable purchases and choices. I believe that this shift has already begun, it's just not taking place quickly enough.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Stakeholders **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">As with any sustainability issue, there will be push back from many members of society, particularly people who seem to think it is in their own best interest to continue their lives the way they always have. Another barrier to this intervention in the running community is corporate interest in keeping prices low and outsourcing to other countries. A perfect example of this is Nike, who moves into a community and destroys the wellbeing of individuals involved in their operations. This is why education is key, especially because other brands that are ethically sourced yet may not contain the "brand name" are cheaper. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">This may seem like a simple intervention, but the connection between environmental sustainability and our health is becoming more and more apparent. With the number of runners on the rise, and issues with the hobby itself, if the proper amount of education and government support are applied, then runners can be leaders in this movement.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Challenges **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Don't Run Away Yet **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Greenest Races] **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|The EcoRunner] **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|The Spiritual Side to Being an Environmentally Friendly Runner] **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Green Running Shoes and Apparel] **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Don't Let Your Sneakers Run to a Landfill] **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> References: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Bodin, Maria, and Terry Hartig. "Does the Outdoor Environment Matter for Psychological Restoration Gained through Running?" Elsevier Science 4.2: 141-53. 2002. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W6K-451NG7N-1&_user=10&_coverDate=04/30/2003&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1556099771&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=7eb0f4a1172343bebc4d7035ef345e52&searchtype=a>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Butryn, Ted, and David Furts. "The Effects of Park and Urban Settings on the Moods and Cognitive Strategies of Female Runners." Sports Behavior 26 (2003). Web. 25 Nov. 2010. <http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=F84A66200456932629DDADFDBE8E7BFA.inst2_2b?docId=5002564064>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Recycle." Your Austin Marathon. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youraustinmarathon.com/recycle>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Williams, Florence. "The Runner's Footprint at Runner's World.com." Runner's World: Running Shoes, Marathon Training, Racing. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. <http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-488--12892-0,00.h