Healthy Strides

Green is Good at the Healthy Strides 5k/10k

“We love parks and want to make this event as environmentally friendly, as possible,” says Julie Frederickson, Healthy Strides Race Director and Fitness Director at Cub Run RECenter. The Healthy Strides 5k/10k is held annually in April, and each year, Julie strives to make the event more and more ‘green.’

For several years, the Healthy Strides 5k/10k has cut down on paper waste by using biodegradable bibs with timing sensors, and virtual swag bags – an online portal for participants to redeem exclusive information and coupons. Participants also receive a great reusable bag filled with race goodies, no paper!

New in 2018, participants can bring their gently used athletic shoes for a donation to fight poverty, hunger, and global warming through the MORE Foundation Group. This group educates small farmers in the use of the MORE (Modular Organic Regenerative Environments) Farming System, and are 100% funded from the sale of used athletic shoes. Of the one billion pair of shoes placed in landfills each year we only need a few hundred thousand of those to reach a tipping point. Healthy Strides is excited to support this green endeavor!

The Healthy Strides 5k/10k will be held on April 21, 2018 at the beautiful Burke Lake Park. For more information, and to register online please visit Healthy Strides Community 10K/5K Run.

Tree Facts

This year Earth Day is April 22 and Arbor Day is April 27. There is so much to know about trees – how they impact our health and environment. Let’s explore some impactful tree facts.

• A study of 10 cities found community forests save an average of one life each year. In New York City, trees save an average of eight lives every year. (U.S. Forest Service, 2013)
• Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction. (Chungbuk National University, South Korea, 2007)
• Trees provide us with oxygen. One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people. (North Carolina State University)
• More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. (Rain Forest Alliance)
• Trees help clean our drinking water. Forested watersheds provide quality drinking water to more than 180 million Americans. (U.S. Forest Service, 2013)
• In 1997, New York City spent $1.5 billion to preserve the forested watershed that supplies New York City’s drinking water by purchasing thousands of upstate acres of forested watershed. A filtration plant large enough to clean New York City’s water supply would have cost more than $6 billion dollars. (Ecosystem Marketplace, 2006)
• Today, New Yorkers enjoy some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, and New York City has won regional water taste competitions. (New York City Department of Environmental Protection, 2013)
• Trees provide much-needed cooling. Trees lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade. Shaded surfaces may be 20–45°F cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials. (U.S. EPA)
• Trees cool the city by up to 10°F by shading our homes and streets and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves. Evaporation of water from trees has a cooling influence. (Carnegie Institution, 2011)

Source: Arbor Day Foundation, "Tree Facts"

Tip of the Month

Greening your routine is easy and might actually save some money! Power down your household by switching off lights when you exit the room, unplug the charger when they are not in use, and hibernate/sleep devices such as your laptop or printer so that they use minimal power.

Source: Earch 911, "8 Easy Ways to Start Being Green"