This document has been drawn up taking as a reference the one written by the FEMP (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces): www.redciudadesclima.es, : Guide of good enviromental practices for sporting events, which has been promoted by the Deparment of Sports and Enviroment, and defines its action áreas in the following points:
1. Green Office
2. Purchasing and Contracting Policy
3. Communication
4. Responsible Mobility
5. Waste Management
6. Water Management
7. Power Consumption
8. Noise Management
9. Awareness and Enviromental Education
10. Protection of Fragile Areas and Natural Enviroments
With this references, the possible actions and the different possibilities of action in the enviroment of the sporting event “MADLAND GRAVEL CAMINO DE UCLÉS” are proposed and developed.
The sporting event “MADLAND GRAVEL CAMINO DE UCLÉS” takes place from the village of Morata de Tajuña, with the Monastery of UCLÉS (Cuenca) as its destination, passing through the towns of Perales de Tajuña, Tielmes, Carabaña, Estremera, Barajas de Melo and Huelves.
These are towns located in natural enviroments with certain enviromental richness, with interest and richness both vegetation and fauna. The route is circunscribed within fully natural enviroments of mid-mountain with interest in being conserved and cared in all its aspects.
This event, capacity limited to 250 participants, and with capacity of the venue both assistants and the number of people coming to witness them, that in many cases will be limitated to the families of the participants.
It is a Gravel bike sport cycling event, which route fully takes place between roads, paths and tracks, so it is a minimum impact in terms of soil and terrain. However, participants are remained and requested the need and obligation to take care, and reduce (even eliminate) any imapct on the enviroment.
The need to delimit and mark the route of the race implies the use of marking with bright colors, which requires the use of coloured ribbons that, with the aim of reducing its impact and movements, are placed during the previous day, and removed by 4 members of the organization during the finish line closing on the same day of the race. Those ribbons are made from recycled plastic materials and are biodegradable.
In addition to this measures, during the preparation of the event, the highlights of the “Guide of good enviromental practises for sporting events” will be attended.
As it was mention above, the event will not exceed 250 participants and the number of visitors is expected to be reduced and limited to family members of the participants, the use of the old schools of the village as the centre of attention, checkroom and changing rooms will give us the possibility of centralizing in it the information related to the event and all that we consider appropiate at an enviromental level, since this facility is also used as a place of exhibition and meetings, and has garbage cans and containers with the possibility of recycling the different materials used in this event. The proximity of the schools and the main square makes it possible to gather in the latter the main containers for recycling and collecting everything that is used in the event.
The reduced number of participants makes the volume and the movement in terms of purchasing and contracting low, even so, all possibilities of participation with fair trade will be taken into account, especially with local trade. In this regard, almost all sponsors are small local businessman: bar and restaurant, builders, rural houses, physiotherapist, etc. In each case, they provide what they can: from broth and snacks for runners after the race, as everything related to the supplies during the event. In the same way, the use of marking and delimitation fences is a contribution of one of the building companies of the town, as well as all the people involved in the assembly of the race, which is reduced to volunteers from the town, both old and young.
Almost all the communication for the publicity of the event has been made through social networks and spezialized media, mostly digital, minimazing the use of phisical paper supports. Physical posters have been eliminated, using digital apps for its distribution and dissemination, in order not to generate any enviroment impact.
Conservationist messages: The organization periodically remains all the participants the delicacy, importance and peculiarity of the enviroment where the events take place. The awareness of the importance that we all collaborate with the care of the enviroment is very important, and so we work insistently at communication level through the newsletter sent to the participants, messages with instructions, and all kind of means available to the organization.
As it is a test that takes place in a natural enviroment, all possible impacts in terms of access, waste, involvement of fauna and vegetation will be taken in account.
a. Waste containers:
Water requirements are limited and directly proportional to the number of participants. The use and consumption of water will be taken into account, reducing bottled water and providing jerry cans for its transportation to the refreshment posts, eliminating as much as possible the containers used.
The event will take place during the day and all actions will be held outdoors, minimizing the use of indoor spaces and artificial lights. However, with the aim of having open-air spaces but covered in case of a storm, it will be taking into account the need to have some protection against inclement weather
In this line and taking into account the health of athletes, there is the possibility of having heaters in very adverse weather situations, but the provision of the checkroom is managed as close as possible so that participants can change quickly and use warm clothes to reduce the loss of temperature at the end of the event.
Municipal ordinances will be followed at all times and the use of equipment that generates unnecessary noise will be avoided at times that are sensitive for the rest and tranquility of the neighbors.
The use of loudspeakers will be limited to the urban area and will be limited to the departure and arrival areas, without the volume being annoying. The route will be limited when passing through sensitive areas, for the protection and preservation of protected species.
Events are formidable platforms for raising environmental awareness for all participants: athletes, spectators, organization staff, volunteers, media, suppliers and sponsors.
The integration in events of actions aimed at raising the awareness of all participating agents is essential to achieve a «sustainable» and environmentally friendly citizen awareness.
9.1 Training
There is a manifesto and decalogue of commitment to good environmental practices.
9.2 The Green team: Ecovolunteers
We have the presence of Ecovolunteers to help us in the proper development of the environmental policy of the event, as well as in the monitoring and follow-up of environmental measures and cleaning tasks, detection of anomalies, etc.
9.3 Environmental report of the event: A report is prepared for each test in which indicators of the environmental impacts generated by the organization of the event are recorded.
9.4 Ecomenssages: In the advertising media: posters, briefing, race bibs, press releases, etc. we have messages that allude to the preservation and conservation of the natural environment in which the tests take place and respect for the environment.
The event takes place in the natural environment and does not require, strictly speaking, a «fixed» installation, since the natural environment itself is used as a sporting space.
The responsibility for safeguarding the natural environment corresponds to this organization, as well as to the participants and the public.
The planning and management of these events are aimed at not causing or minimizing environmental impacts on the terrain.
Participants are informed of the prohibition to throw waste on the ground, and to take waste with them.
In any case, the route must be checked once each sporting activity is finished to make sure that there is no waste left.
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