MONTEREY, CA (BRAIN)—Quietly over the years, the Sea Otter Classic has managed to make great strides as a "green" event by reducing its carbon footprint.
Now Sea Otter has become the model against which other events in the Monterey Bay area get measured. Partnerships with companies that have existing "green" initiatives already in place like Toyota, Clif Bar, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Pedro's become part of the process to achieving a more sustainable, more environmentally responsible event.
New this year, Sierra Nevada has signed on as the "Official Recycling Sponsor" and who better to lead Sea Otter's recycling efforts than a company that managed to divert 98.2 percent of total solid waste from landfill through recycling and reuse efforts during 2007.
"Recycling is something that we do naturally here at our plant," said Cheri Chastain, sustainability coordinator for Sierra Nevada. "So going to and participating at events, we wanted to improve the recycle-ability of products, now it's at the point where we can start expanding and doing these things at the events we're attending."
Clif Bar will take all energy bar wrappers at Booth #227 to later be converted into useful objects like tote bags and purses. The environmentally conscious Clif Bar, in partnership with Terracycle, will be unveiling its new energy bar wrapper-recycling program, called the Wrapper Brigade at Sea Otter.
Sea Otter is also the first stop on the 2008 tour of the Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge, which challenges people to fight global warming by walking or riding bikes for trips that are two miles or less. Clif Bar unveiled its 2 Mile Challenge project at Interbike last year and the response so far has been positive.
"People everywhere really seem to be getting behind the concept of using a bike to make those quick trips of under two miles from where they live," said Ryan Mayo, mobile marketing manager for Clif Bar. "It’s not hard to see that it’s going to take some pro-activity on our collective part if we want to make a difference on the climate change front."
Pedro's brand bicycle care will further reduce environmental impact to the Laguna Seca Recreation Area and Fort Ord trails by providing Pedro’s Green Fizz Bike Wash Station, where dirty bikes will get their own kind of environmentally friendly spa treatment. Green Fizz, a biodegradable foaming bike wash, ProJ, a biodegradable, professional-strength citrus degreaser, and Go!, Pedro’s newest biodegradable and sustainable chain lube, will be on hand for cyclists who care about both their bikes and the environment to scrub, degrease, and lube their rides.
“We’re excited to offer the bike wash at Sea Otter. The event’s commitment to the planet is tremendous and we think that should be supported at every level. We want all riders to be able to wash their bikes and kill the dirt without killing the fish” said Jason Elhardt, Pedro’s marketing and communications manager.
