The Green Athlete

Vineman Goes Green!

Vineman is one of my favorite races! And I'm really psyched to know that the race is going green this year. I checked in with Amy Latourette at their race headquarters and here is what she shared with me:

Changes we have made in the Vineman office:

* Switched out our conventional light bulbs for CFL bulbs.
* Removed paper towels from the bathrooms and replaced them with hand towels.
* Use recycled copy paper (we have been doing this for a few years now)
* Reuse paper for scratch paper.
* Replace bottled water with a filter pitcher.
* Compost fruit and vegetable scraps.
* Save packing materials (peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.) and return them to the Mailbox Plus store.
* Reducing the junk mail we receive by contacting each company and asking to be removed from their mailing lists.
* Switch over to paperless billing.
* Switch over to rechargeable batteries.

Changes for the Vineman races:

* Eliminate mailing of race programs. They will now be available only online.
* Akeena Solar to supply power for our expo and finish line.
* Recycle/compost bins at all race venues.
* Eliminate water bottles at the finish line.
* Make signage that is reusable (instead of one time use)
* Plates, napkins, bowls from recycled materials.
* Reusable “goody” bags at registration instead of plastic bags.
* We have joined the “wrapper brigade” and will be collecting and recycling energy bar wrappers. (This was started by Clif Bar and TerraCycle)
* We will have Clif Bar Cool Tags available for purchase at the Full Vineman
* We are working on getting our own “cool tags” to sell at the Vineman Ironman 70.3

The green Alete Van will be at the race this year so be sure to come and find us!

Ten Ways to Turn Your Gaming Green

Ten Ways to Turn Your Gaming Green
Gamers, take heed -- it's easy being green.

By Ben Silverman

If anyone understands the value in saving Earth, it's a gamer. But while we're exceptionally skilled at protecting our blue ball from hordes of alien invaders, we're not exactly leading the charge when it comes to energy conservation.
Don't feel too guilty - you can't expect to power your PS3 with a hand crank - but there are plenty of ways gamers can contribute to global restoration without ruining all the fun. Here are 10 simple tips to becoming a greener gamer.
1. Take charge and recharge.
Wireless controllers might be the greatest innovation in console gaming since the Cheetos/Mountain Dew combo-pack, but man, do they drain batteries fast. That's not a problem if you own a PS3 (which smartly uses a USB connection to charges its controllers), but if you game on an Xbox 360 or Wii, grab some rechargeable NiMH batteries and stop dumping double-A's in your trash can. Don't forget to grab a charger, too.
2. Unplug it.
Most of the electronics devices in your home still suck up power even when turned off, making Standby Power Consumption something of a silent energy killer. On a case-by-case basis it might not seem like much, but that handful of wasted watts pools up quickly, especially if you're the tech-savvy sort with a living room crammed with gear. If you're going on vacation, loaded with schoolwork or just planning on taking a break from games for a while, do the world a favor by unplugging your gaming PC and home consoles (unless, of course, your PS3 is heavily involved in the noble Folding@Home project).
3. Invest in a new Energy Star compliant television.
Generally speaking, the larger the set, the greater the power draw. In an effort to trim down unnecessary energy use, the EPA's Energy Star label is requiring all larger sets to use 30 percent less power in order to claim Energy Star compliance. The new policy doesn't begin until November 2008, giving you plenty of time to save up for a more efficient telly.
4. Rent before you buy.
Simply opening a brand new game is a study in wasteful insanity: left in the wake of an impassioned unwrapping is a mess of discarded shrink-wrap, crumpled security stickers and superfluous magazine subscription offers. If you're on the fence about a game, avoid this ecological nightmare and consider using a Netflix-like rental service such as Gamefly. It's a great way to stay knee-deep in games without cluttering your life with unwanted trash, plus it goes a step further by offering digitized versions of game instruction manuals for free.
5. Reuse it or lose it.
Games are a little like dogs - they don't need to be brand new to make the perfect companion. So visit the virtual gaming pound and give an old title new life by buying used games. It's an easy way to save cash while reducing the environmental costs associated with producing, shipping, and stocking new games. The same goes for game consoles - "refurbished" isn't a bad word, you know. If your local game retailer doesn't carry used products, surf over to eBay and turn another gamer's trash into your newest treasure. Just make sure the game discs are scratch-free!
6. Save your game, already!
Hidden deep in the gamer DNA is a panicky, neurotic gene that drives us to leave our game consoles on overnight. It's likely just a carryover from the old days of gaming before memory cards and internal hard drives, when we couldn't just save games and shut off the system without losing hours of hard work. Well, that's all changed, and while you can fool your mom by telling her you can't stop playing because your game isn't saved, we know better. Press Start, save the thing, and stop hogging up the electrical grid.
7. Donate old games and systems to charity.
No longer using that PSOne? Don't you dare drag it to the dump. Instead, swing by the local Goodwill and perpetuate the circle of gaming life, or consider donating your dusty game goods to a charity like Child's Play.
8. Support digital downloading.
If you believe the pundits, digital distribution is the wave of the future...and we happen to believe the pundits. Each of the three home consoles offers a variety of terrific downloadable games, while PC users can purchase full-blown versions of top-notch games using services like Yahoo! Games on Demand, Steam, Gametap, and there's even more casual fare on Yahoo! Games' Downloads Area. No clutter, no traffic, and no lines at the store? No contest.
9. Lap it up.
Full disclosure: we think your epic rig with the quad-core processor, GeForce 8800 and 4GB DDR3 RAM rules, too. But your mini-supercomputer with the seven cooling fans is an oppressive energy vacuum, so unless you absolutely cannot live without it, how about trading in that desktop dinosaur for a sleek gaming laptop? Sure, you'll lose some oomph, but you'll save money on your energy bill and, best of all, get to geek out even harder while on the road.
10. Recycle game boxes.
If you insist on buying PC games the old-fashioned way, recycle those cardboard game boxes and keep the game discs in a CD holder. We know you like the box art, but trust us: collecting those boxes will only clutter the closet.

Green Athlete Chris Lieto wins Columbia Triathlon

Two-thirds of the way through yesterday's Silver Columbia Triathlon at Centennial Park in Ellicott City, Chris Lieto found himself in familiar territory. Having made up considerable ground during the bicycle portion of the race, Lieto now had a different, albeit more desirable, problem to contend with.

"When you're in the lead, you don't know what's going on behind you," said Lieto, who was in first place going into the final leg based on his outstanding performance on the bike. "You're not running scared, but you don't get any input, either."

Fortunately for Lieto, he didn't need much input, because in the end the 36-year-old had enough output to not only capture the overall title but also break the course record. His time of 1 hour, 51 minutes, 13 seconds broke the mark of 1:51:46 set by U.S. Olympic qualifier Matt Reed in 2006. Reed did not participate in this year's event.

"I didn't know I was on a record pace until I came down the stretch and saw the clock," said Lieto, of Danville, Calif., who won for the second time this season after a victory in Miami in April. "At that point, I made sure I gave a pretty good effort at the end."

With race conditions described by several contestants as nearly perfect, the event consisted of a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 41-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run. It featured 24 professional competitors as well as more than 2,000 amateurs. Race organizers estimated the crowd to be about 7,500.

The outcome was decided on the bicycle course.

Lieto, considered one of the strongest cyclists in the sport, was not among the leaders after the swim portion. Neither was 2007 Ironman world champion Chris McCormack, who began the race as the odds-on favorite to win. While Lieto was busy catching and eventually passing those in front of him during the hilly parts of the bike course, McCormack and two other riders lost valuable time after some confusion with a race coordinator led them to veer off course. McCormack would recover and finish third with a time of 1:57:22 but afterward was clearly thinking about what could have been.

"It's disappointing," said McCormack, Triathlete magazine's 2007 Athlete of the Year. "I really wanted to win, and I was definitely in a position to do that but ... these things happen."

McCormack's troubles opened the door for 18-year-old Andrew Yoder to finish in second place at 1:54:31, improving his time from last year - a junior record - by more than five minutes. Since he turned professional midseason last year, his time does not qualify for the junior level. Still, the person some were calling the future of the sport was thrilled not only with his improvement over the past year but also to be sandwiched between two of the sport's elite.

"I hung with Chris Lieto and finished in front of Chris McCormack. ... It was awesome."

Clean My Ride - Project Phin Ep. 1

Wildflower Video

Wildflower!

The Green Athlete had another successful event at the Wildflower Triathlon Festival this past weekend. The Green Athlete Van traveled to Lake San Antonio early in the week so Pro Triathlete Chris Lieto could get in some last minute training before the race on Saturday. We filled up on bio-diesel fuel before we left and a few hours later we arrived at our camp.

The always comfortable ride was even better this time around as we added a new sponsor to the program - Sony - who outfitted the van with a flat screen TV and a Sony Playstation III. The crew was able to play a little Guitar Hero every night before bed. And I won't share how many tines we watched Anchorman.

Each day the van and the appliances were powered up by the solar panels on top of the van provided by Sungevity. It was a great feeling knowing we were getting our energy direct from the sun. We served coffee every morning to other athletes who were camping nearby. They were able to stop by each morning and re-use the great Green Athlete coffee mugs provided by Trek.

K-Swiss provided us with some great Green Athlete tees that we were able to give out to supporters. Next time you see us at an event be sure to stop by and get one. Next up - Boise 70.3!

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day and a day that can be the start of making little changes that can help limit our waste. A simple way and something you can do right now is go to www.catalogchoice.org/ and spend a minute filling out what catalogs you want to stop coming to your house. It is very simple and very easy. Why do we need all those catalogs in the mail when the internet is full of shopping. If you want to look for things to buy just spend time searching Google instead of reading a catalog you will through away as soon as you are done flipping the pages.
This is one simple thing you can do, but I encourage you to read some of the blog entries in this site or others and find other ways you can help. Please come back frequently as I will do my best to post new ways we can limit our carbon foot print.
Happy Earth Day!

Recycle your running shoes!

The Green Athlete and Chris Lieto are proud to partner up with a great non-profit organization called Soles for Souls www.soles4souls.org. We will be working with them along with the support of K-Swiss to do recycled shoe drives at the various events we are at this year. Next up - Wildflower Triathlon Festival! So if you are heading up to Wildflower next week, bring an extra pair of old running shoes to recycle. Look for the Green Athlete van, turn your shoes in and we'll reward you will a discount coupon for a pair of new K-Swiss running shoes!

Sungevity acknowledged by Fortune Magazine - 11 Great Green Ideas!

Berkeley startup Sungevity aims to do for the solar business what Dell did for personal computers: digitize the entire enterprise to cut costs and create a mass market. Enter your address on Sungevity's website, and satellite-imaging software zooms in on your home, calculates the roof's dimensions, selects appropriately sized solar arrays, and shows what they will look like installed -- while computing your return on investment. Once the order is placed, an off-the-shelf prepackaged solar array is shipped to the customer's door, and an installation crew is dispatched. "This changes the game," says
Sungevity co-founder Danny Kennedy.
-- Todd Woody

Sungevity Launches

Eco start-up company Sungevity is launching a new web application on Earth Day that will take the guess work out of solar panel installations. Enter your address on Sungevity's website and satellite-imaging software will zoom in on your home, calculate your roof's dimensions, select the right sized solar arrays and calculate how much money you'll save on energy costs.

Once you place an order, the site will ship one of five off-the-shelf prepackaged solar arrays and dispatch an installation crew to your door. An on-line database tracks local building and permit requirements and sends the necessary forms to you for you to fill out.

This is great news for everyone who has ever wanted to jump on the solar bandwagon, but was afraid to because of the headaches that come from any large home project. The system will also help make everything cheaper, since half of a solar system's costs are from installation hassles.

Unfortunately, the service is limited to California addresses right now, but if business is good, we could probably count on a nationwide roll-out in the near future. [Green Wombat via Wired]