UCI Road World Championships Exceed Sustainability Goals

The 2015 UCI Road World Championships Sustainability Report to be released next week by Mayor Dwight C. Jones shows that the event achieved or exceeded all of its sustainability goals. A goal was set to divert a minimum of 60 percent of event waste from going to the landfill, and the efforts undertaken surpassed that goal, achieving a 76 percent waste diversion rate.

Waste diversion was achieved by composting food wastes; requiring caterers and vendors to use compostable eating utensils; operating a robust recycling effort that included cardboard, pallets, and plastic bags; reusing event signage; recovering and donating unused food; collecting cooking grease to turn into bio-fuel; using water filling stations and reusable beer cups in lieu of plastic.

An additional goal of offsetting 100 percemt of the greenhouse gas emissions produced from event operations was met. Sources of emissions included electricity use in the Greater Richmond Convention Center, fuel use for generators and equipment; propane and cooking fuel for vendors and caterers; and fuel use for official event vehicles, shuttle buses, refuse, recycling and compost haulers .The 100 percent offset was attained via Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) provided by the City of Richmond Sustainability Office through its participation in the Dominion Green Power Program. Dominion Green Power RECs come from wind, solar and biomass facilities in the mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions.

“I want to recognize Alicia Zatcoff, the City of Richmond Sustainability Manager; Tom Griffin, Executive Director of Virginia Green Travel Alliance, and everyone who worked to make the 2015 UCI Road World Championships a sustainable event,” said Mayor Jones. “Sustainability was a significant factor in the success of the event and in providing athletes and spectators with an overwhelmingly positive experience.This effort also showed how sustainability can enhance tourism and economic development in our community.”

The 2015 UCI Road World Championships was the first Road World Championships ever to receive the official UCI reCycling eco-label. The eco-label recognizes environmentally responsible cycling events that submit an Environmental Management Plan documenting intended actions to address transportation, energy and water conservation, recycling and waste management, accommodations, catering and supplies.

The event was certified as a Virginia Green Travel Event. The Virginia Green Program is Virginia’s self-certifying program to encourage green practices in all aspects of its tourism industry including festivals and sporting events. The program is run through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.

The World Championships (Worlds) is in the process of obtaining the Council for Responsible Sport event certification, which is based on the event’s actual performance in key areas of equity, access, community impact, and legacy.

“We strategically aligned the focus of our sustainability activities for the Worlds in four key areas that were designed to move the city’s broader RVAgreen sustainability initiatives forward: reduce waste, reduce emissions, be healthy and leave a positive legacy,” said Alicia Zatcoff, City of Richmond sustainability manager. “As a result, we not only succeeded in our sustainability efforts for the event but we also made progress on big picture initiatives that will benefit our community for many years to come.”

As a result of the sustainability achievements for the Worlds, the City of Richmond and the Virginia Green Travel Alliance are developing a Green Event Toolkit to share lessons learned and provide free resources to enhance the sustainability of future events.

“The Worlds was an opportunity for the Virginia Green Travel Alliance to help showcase how green an event can actually be when the proper planning takes place and adequate resources are made available,” said Tom Griffin, executive director of the Virginia Green Travel Alliance. “The sustainability accomplishments of the Worlds have set a new standard for events and festivals in the community and the Green Event Toolkit will help organizers meet this new standard.”

Sustainability at the UCI Bicycle Championships in Photos

UCI 2015 Road World Champions Sustainability Achievements

Achievements to Reduce Waste

• Divert at least 60 percent of event waste from landfill
• Comprehensive Waste Management Plan that includes compost and commingled recycling
• All food vendors and caterers required to use compostable serve ware
• New bulk purchase system developed to lower price of compostable serve ware for event
• All food vendors and caterers composting/diverting as much pre-consumer food scraps as possible
• Recycling of traditionally difficult materials including pallets, plastic bags and cooking grease
• Food recovery program to donate unused food from event to local charities
• City, Virginia Green Travel Alliance (VGTA) and HandsOn Greater Richmond created the new RVA Green Team Volunteer Network to recruit and train sustainability volunteers for the UCI Worlds
• City, HandsOn Greater Richmond and VGTA received a grant for six Americorps NCCC volunteers to serve as green team leaders during event
• Volunteer training included pre-event e-mails, a video on compost and recycling during the event, a short pre-shift training session and on the scene training from a team leader
• RVA Green Team volunteers encourage, educate and involve attendees in separating items into proper bins
• Ten water refill stations located throughout the event area provided by the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities
• Reusable beer cups in beer gardens
• Public eco-stations: three bin stations with 96 gallon commingled recycling, 96 gallon compost, and 96 gallon trash (landfill) bin. Located throughout key event areas and marked w/color coded and coordinated system of flags, symbols and signage for high visibility.
• Vendor Eco-stations: three bin stations with 96 gallon commingled recycling, 96 gallon compost, and 96 gallon trash (landfill) bin. Located conveniently near caterers and food vendors. Also includes collection of: cardboard, plastic bags and cooking grease.
• Staging areas placed in strategic locations where recycling, compost and trash from eco-stations as well as cardboard, pallets, plastic bags and cooking grease is placed temporarily until picked up and taken off-site
• Eco-station banners and signage created to educate attendees and encourage waste reduction efforts
• Developed detailed maps showing locations of eco-stations and staging areas and shared with caterers and vendors
• Conducted pre-event meetings and daily check-ins with caterers and food vendors
• Caterers monitored attendance numbers to ensure supply tailored accordingly to avoid waste
• Recycle packaging material from event
• Event app that provides event details and information to reduce the need for printing
• 100 percent online registration for athletes and volunteers
• Event communications and marketing conducted electronically to minimize printed material
• Encourage reduction of give-away items at event
• Rent, borrow, or reuse a majority of event equipment

Achievements to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Transportation

• navigate.richmond2015.com created to clearly convey day-by-day event information related to: traffic and commuting, transit, Amtrak and parking, pedestrian/cyclist guide
• “RVA Green the Scene” campaign and signage to encourage people to use public transport, walk or ride to the event
• Multiple temporary bike share stations to provide rental bikes for use during the event
• Bike valets available to encourage people to ride to the event
• Shuttle buses to and from event are available where people can park/ride from two convenient locations
• Event venues can be conveniently accessed by public transport
• Event partner GRTC offering a special $35 unlimited ride pass during entire event
• Event partner RideFinders providing carpooling and other alternative mode resources
• Amtrak to offer enhanced walk-up checked bike service on select trains and at select stations
• The event courses and schedules were developed to take into account morning and afternoon travel patterns and peak travel times

Achievements to Be Healthy

• Using local caterers and food vendors that are serving healthy food options
• Encouraging healthy activities by engaging the community in events like “Conquer the Cobbles,” which gives the public a chance to ride the race course
• Car Max Kid Zone with interactive and educational activities on being healthy and bike safety
• Partnered with DRIVE SMART Virginia on a “Be Aware. Be Safe. Share the Road” campaign
• Promoting September is Virginia Bicyclist and Pedestrian Awareness Month with partner DRIVE SMART Virginia

Achievements to Leave a Positive Legacy for Future Events

• “UCI World Sustainability Champion” community focused campaign to engage attendees in sustainability activations during event and educate them on broader city sustainability initiatives
• Main event site is the Greater Richmond Convention Center (GRCC), which is a Virginia Green Certified facility
• Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to offset carbon footprint of event operations
• A green event toolkit provided by the City of Richmond and VGTA with free information and resources to influence more events to adopt sustainable practices
• RVA Green Team Volunteer Network will continue to serve as a resource to help future events and festivals in the community become more sustainable
• 200 eco-stations provided by the City of Richmond for free to help organizers in the community make their events more sustainable
• 10 water refill stations provided by the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities to help organizers in the community make their events more sustainable
• Bulk purchase system to lower the price of compostable serve ware for event organizers, caterers and food vendors
• “RVA Green the Scene” campaign and signage to inform attendees about sustainability initiatives and encourage adoption at future events 
• Green team volunteer video, eco-station banners, signage, and flags are available to be for use at future events
• A new category for the Virginia Green Program that enables food trucks and mobile food vendors to apply for certification

Interview with Alicia Zatcoff on UCI Cycling Championships in Richmond

The GSB Interview: Alicia Zatcoff, Sustainability Manager
UCI Cycling Championships, Richmond 2015

Richmond, VA will become the epicenter of the cycling world from September 19-27, 2015 when it hosts the annual Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Championships. With more than 1,000 cyclists from 70 plus countries taking part in 12 races over the nine days, and with 450,000 spectators expected to watch, the 2015 UCI Worlds are likely to be the biggest sports event in Richmond history. GreenSportsBlog talked with Alicia Zatcoff, Sustainability Manager for the City of Richmond and the driving force behind the sustainability efforts for the 2015 UCI Road Worlds, to get a sense of how green the event will be. Here's the interview.

Sustainability with Style

Richmond is one of five cities selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for this year's Greening America's Capitals program. The initiative develops solutions for improving air and water quality and creating friendlier streets with social and economic benefits.

Catherine Komp of Community Idea Stations did a piece on plans for Jefferson Avenue for Virginia Currents that you can watch here.

City Announces Sustainability Goals for the 2015 UCI Road World Cycling Championships

Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond 2015 officials marked an historic occasion Earth Day, April 22, when they announced that the 2015 UCI Road World Cycling Championships would be the first Road World Cycling event to receive the official UCI reCycling eco-label.

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) created the reCycling program to help its members organize more environmentally responsible cycling events by addressing practices in transportation, energy and water conservation, recycling and waste management, accommodations, catering, and supplies. UCI awards the eco-label to cycling events that have submitted an Environmental Management Plan documenting intended actions that meet the reCycling criteria.

During the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, attendees will notice mobile water-filling stations provided by the City’s Department of Public Utilities in the spectator zones to reduce plastic use by making it easy to refill bottles. A Green Team of volunteers will also be on hand to carry out the eco-label initiatives.

“The City is strategically leveraging the World Championships to further community-wide initiatives that are essential for a vibrant and resilient Richmond," said Mayor Jones. "These initiatives will continue to benefit our residents long after the nine days of racing are over and the visitors have returned home.”

Recycling and composting bins

During the Earth Day event, Mayor Jones issued a progress report on the City’s RVAgreen sustainability plan, "Moving Sustainability Forward." The progress report tracks headway in achieving the 55 sustainability initiatives established in in the plan such as green jobs, healthy food access, community energy use, recycling, open space access, housing cost burden, and alternative modes of transportation. It sets goals to reduce government and community greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, equal to a 1.8 percent reduction every year.

As a result of work related to the 2015 Championships, the City of Richmond and collaborators are planning to enhance sustainability for future events. In addition to the mobile water filling stations and Green Team of volunteers, improvements include recycling and composting stations; and a green event toolkit to provide free information and resources to help organizers make their events more sustainable.

A mobile water filling station

About City of Richmond RVAgreen

RVAgreen is the City’s sustainability program. It includes the RVAgreen Sustainability Plan released in 2012 to further the City’s sustainability goals: improve the quality of life for residents, create a healthy environment and enhance economic opportunity in the city of Richmond. For more information about RVAgreen including a copy of the RVAgreen Progress Report called Moving Sustainability Forward visit www.richmondgov.com/sustainability

About Richmond 2015, Inc.

Richmond 2015, Inc., is the independent nonprofit corporation responsible for the organization, management and promotion of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. 

Partners of Richmond 2015 include Altria, Anthem, CarMax, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, Davenport and Company, Dominion, Genworth, Hourigan Construction, Kings Dominion, Lansing Building Products, MARTIN’S Food Markets, MWV, McGuireWoods, Norfolk Southern, PIASCIK, The Community Foundation, TowneBank, VCU Medical Center and Williams Mullen.

In addition to its corporate partners, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Richmond, Hanover County and Henrico County are all key partners of Richmond 2015. For more information about Richmond 2015 visit http://richmond2015.com. 

About the 2015 UCI Road World Championships

The 2015 UCI Road World Championships, cycling’s pinnacle event, will be held Sept. 19-27, 2015 in Richmond, Va., and is expected to attract 450,000 onsite spectators over the course of the nine-day event as well as a worldwide television audience. More than 1,000 cyclists – Elite Men and Women, Under-23 Men, and Junior Men and Women – from more than 75 countries will compete in three categories: the traditional Road Race, Individual Time Trial and Team Time Trial. The event, which is being held in the United States for the first time since 1986, culminates with the traditional road races on Sept. 26 (women) and Sept. 27 (men).