Leadville Race Series Partners with Cloud City Conservation Center to Achieve Zero Waste Goals
Leadville, CO – [October 2024] – As racers grind through Leadville’s challenging trails, their efforts are being matched by a determined commitment to environmental sustainability. Cloud City Conservation Center (C4) has partnered with the Leadville Race Series to minimize the ecological impact of these local races.
The Race Series, founded in 1983 by Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin, has grown from a single 100-mile run into a summerlong series that attracts athletes and spectators from around the globe. However, as popularity increased so did trash, prompting calls from the U.S Forest Service for more effective waste management solutions. In 2013, C4 first answered this call and started working with the Race Series to improve waste handling practices.
As runners and cyclists navigate hundreds of miles of rugged terrain, they rely on aid stations for water and food. Zero Waste staff and volunteers are on hand at all of these aid stations to help participants sort their waste into designated bins: trash, compost, recycling, and Terracycle nutrition wrappers. Aid station snacks are also served in bulk, water bottles are refilled from large jugs, and vendors are required to serve food in BPI certified compostable packaging. These efforts don’t just reduce the amount of trash on our trails- they’re also a key step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating the impacts of climate change.
These efforts have significantly reduced the environmental impact of the Race Series. This year’s Zero Waste team collected 15,300 pounds - over 7 tons!- of waste from race series aid stations. More than 75% of that was diverted away from local landfills and towards more sustainable uses, with 5,600 pounds being composted and another 5,100 pounds recycled.
C4 collaborates with several waste management partners to process the resulting composting and recycling. Compost is sent to Elements Compost in Salida, recycling is processed by a single-stream facility in Colorado Springs, and nutrition wrappers are handled by Terracycle in New Jersey.
Looking ahead, C4 and the Leadville Race Series are committed to further reducing their ecological footprint and inspiring others to do the same. To learn more about the Cloud City Conservation Center and how you can contribute to local zero waste and sustainability work visit https://www.c4leadville.org.
For more information, please contact:
Isabel Lisle
Sustainability Manager, Cloud City Conservation Center
