My first 5k race- the Hot Chocolate Run in Northampton, Massachusetts.I could go on ad nauseum as to why this race was awesome- I finished, the residents cheering from their yards, the competitors were so friendly afterward even when the hot chocolate was late in coming, it's the ultra-progressive "Happy Valley", etc., but one thing I really appreciated was that not only did they provide after race bananas and oranges, they also provided COMPOST BINS to toss your peels into. Someone smart realized that they'd have a lot of orange and banana peels, that could easily be collected and composted. At first I threw my banana peel in the trash, then saw the compost bin, and thought, "of course, this is Northampton, after all."
I read in Treehugger today that Coke has "developed" a compostable paper cup. Why, in a place like McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, that makes its own consistent profile of trash, can't they make sure the trash is compostable or recyclable and collect it out? Argh!
On another note, I realize that road race runs aren't the greenest activity- they create a lot of unnecessary travel for all those participants, especially to a race like Hot Chocolate which attracts people from all over. But at least Hot Chocolate, and the Greater Hartford Marathon (not sure why you can't just call it the Hartford Marathon) are taking obvious steps to "leave no trace."
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