The Miami-Dade Branch's
first Green Mile event on the beautiful Miami Beach boardwalk is a smashing success!
They came out, ran, walked, made new friends, learned about the USGBC and how to build a sustainable environment ... and had a blast!
South Floridians were out in full force to participate in the first Green Mile 5K on Saturday February 2, organized by the Miami-Dade Branch of the USGBC South Florida Chapter. With support from our incredible sponsors (see below), participants and supporters strolled out onto the beautiful Miami Beach Boardwalk with our donated custom poster board, thanks to the artistic talents of Glen Diton of Go-Green Document Solutions. The morning kicked off with photo-flury from our volunteer photographers, Ana Fiotte and Yuri Johnson from Just Energy, and Lou Lozada of Vodagraph. Organizers were sure to give our runners a bit of an early energy boost with apples and bananas.
Participants donned their stylish sustainable-thread Green Mile 2013 T-Shirts created by MerchSpin (Shout out to Kevin Khandjian!), and at 9am, they were OFF! A total of 51 participants and numerous supporters (on hand to cheer and enjoy the atmosphere and the incredible weather) ran, jogged, trotted and walked down the pictureque Miami Beach Boardwalk to showcase their commitment to sustainability and healthy lifestyles.
With a water stop at the halfway mark (sponsored by Whole Foods Coral Gables), participants were greeted by our amazing volunteers who cheered them on and encouraged them to “keep it active” as they headed back to the finish line. Words of encouragement were chalked on the Boardwalk to keep the motivation amongst all who participated. “You’re almost there!” ... “1 more mile!” ... “You can Do IT!” ... “Go Green or Go HOME” -- all helped provide for an inspiring finishing kick that left a smile on everyone's faces.
With sincere thanks to our sponsors (see below) and everyone who came out to run, walk or cheer, we hope everyone enjoyed the first-time event. Your commitment to sustainability through your support of our Green Mile is much appreciated! Next year, we hope to make The Green Mile 5K bigger and better, and we THANK EVERYONE in advance for your participation!
Greening The Green Mile
- The total CO2 emissions created by walking the course versus driving was calculated to illustrate the importance of using alternative transportation.
- JustGreen Lifestyle was the official carbon-offset sponsor, offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the travel of the attendees to and from the event.
- Other mitigation efforts related to sustainable practices included the use of washable bibs for the race numbers versus printing bibs, compostible cups, signage made from recycled/renewable resources, the use of digital media versus traditional print media ... and more.
As with any program tied to our nonprofit organization, we couldn't be effective advocates and educators without wonderful sponsors. Our sincere thanks is extended to the following sponsors of The Green Mile:
These are all truly outstanding companies and supporters of sustainable lifestyles and green-building initiatives, and we are so appreciative of their partnership tied to this event. Please visit their websites and consider tapping them for their services ... and be sure to thank them for their support of The Green Mile.
