Go Organic

Organic Clothing - Sold and in Race Bags

If you are providing T-shirts to runners and/or selling clothing through vendors, consider organic clothing and look to organic clothing manufacturers. According to World Centric, www.worldcentric.org, conventional cotton farming is one of the most destructive farming activities as it uses the second highest amount of pesticides of any crop, in addition to large amounts of herbicides and insecticides, many of which are known carcinogens. Organic cotton on the other hand is grown using sustainable farming practices and saves the environment - for every 100% organic cotton t-shirt, fewer pesticides and chemicals go into the environment.

World Centric is a non-profit organization, working to reduce economic injustice and environmental degradation through education, community networks and sustainable enterprises. On their website, they offer a fair trade and eco store where you can buy 100% organic cotton t-shirts as well as other race resources you may need.

Many of our Green races have used local suppliers with access to 100% organic cotton and other alternative fabric t-shirts. Links can be found on the Green Race Director's List, or, try www.green-layer.com.

To find out more about organic cotton, check out the Organic Exchange. This is an organization offering education, membership and sponsorship opportunities. Within the Organic Exchange site, you will also find an online marketplace directory, featuring links to manufacturers and sellers of organic cotton clothing products.

Located in the world's most productive agricultural region - California's Central Valley, the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) focuses on the production and use of cotton. This group, helps farmers, manufacturers and consumers work together to create markets for certified organically grown and sustainable cotton.

From this link you will find additional links for more information about what you can personally do, and where you can buy 100% organic cotton clothes and race bags.

Race bags

Consider contacting local grocers or national grocery chains (if your race is attracting runners from around the country) for co-sponsorship opportunities for race bags. Work with them to see if they might provide reusable grocery bags for your race or goody bags - the benefit for the grocer is brand advertising - the benefit for you is providing a reusable, rather than disposable, bag.

Try Ecoscene for more race bag choices. Ecoscene is an online website and weekly e-magazine that encourages people to choose eco-friendly options. They provide "go greener" access to sustainable products and services.

Finally, make sure that all apparel sold through your partner vendors will be 100% organic cotton - work with them to ensure that the clothing is bulk-packed so that you are left with boxes rather than plastic (unrecyclable) bags.

Refreshments/ food

We runners are a healthy bunch - especially close to race time.

Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. Specifically, that they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they are processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they are reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified to be considered organic.

Organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. However, since the early 90's organic food has had significant growth rates, ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. As of April 2008, organic food accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide. Future growth is expected to range from 10-50% annually depending on the country.

The Greenteam sponsor, Nature's Path was one of the first organic companies to distribute organic foods on a national scale. Nature's Path offers many of the organic foods that you would need to distribute healthy organic food at a race. Check out the Nature's Path organic information within the Greenteam site.

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