Hyde Park Blast Goes Green
Local Run/Walk Benefits Environment and Local Charities
Area runners and walkers are invited to have fun, help the environment, and help local charities by participating in the 7th Annual Hyde Park Blast on Saturday, June 28th. Events start at 8:00 a.m. and go until after 8:30 p.m. The "green" event will start at Ault Park and end at Hyde Park Square.
The organizers and sponsors of the Hyde Park Blast are the first in the city to take on a large-scale "green" fundraising event. Some of the green aspects of this year's Blast include an event-wide recycling program, elimination of printed entry forms and encouragement of participants to register online, elimination of bus transportation and promotion of hybrid use via Toyota Prius, recycled/reusable event bags for each participant, organic fruit from Bigg's, and even a human energy component.
"We're very excited about our 'Go Hard, Go Green' campaign this year and the positive effect it will have on the local environment," says event co-founder Chad Sims. "We know it is impossible for larger events not to leave a footprint, but we want it to be as soft as possible and look to all the sustainable options we can execute for our event."
Sims and the Blast committee were inspired by an event that occurred in Boulder, CO, last year. That event yielded 15,906 lbs. of race-day garbage that was recycled, a 41% increase from the previous year's event. The result of the conservation efforts saved the equivalent of 37 forty-foot Douglas-fir trees, 41,300 gallons of water, 332 million BTUs energy, 7 Metric Tons of Carbon Emission (MTCE) and 3,000 gallons of gasoline.
Sims says this year's "Go Hard, Go Green" effort will set a trend that the Hyde Park Blast can build on in the future and hopefully become something that other events will follow this year and in years to come.
The Blast will also be the first collection point in the city for the Crocs Soles United recycling program where participants can donate their used Crocs for recycling and donation to impoverished countries.
Participating partners include: Toyota, Duke Energy, Rumpke, bigg’s, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Crocs, Cincinnati Park Board, Hamilton County Commissioner's Office and Solid Waste Deparment, Park + Vine. Adults and kids can sign up for various events including a 4-mile walk, 4-mile run, and kids events by visiting www.hpblast.com.
Race proceeds benefit: CancerFree Kids, Give Back Cincinnati, the Leukemia Society and the Wellness Community.