Let's do the right thing and give Mother Nature a break. Following the green mantra "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", here are a few tips on how you can help us lower the environmental impact of the Games:
Avoid disposable water bottles
The average American consumer uses more than 150 disposable water bottles each year. Most of these plastic bottles end up in landfill. We would like to avoid giving out an estimated 60,000 disposable water bottles at the 2009 Senior Games. In order to accomplish this goal we are working with Stanford University on installing hydration stations across the campus where you can fill up your personal water bottles. Every athlete and volunteer will be given one high-quality bottle at check-in. Please carry your bottle with you and refill at a hydration station or drinking fountain. Stanford (along with much of the Bay Area) receives its domestic water through the Hetch-Hetchy system directly from Yosemite National Park. Hetch-Hetchy supply ranks among the highest quality drinking waters in the United States. For more information please see: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/may28/gifs/water2007.pdf
Separate your trash
Look twice before you throw away your trash! We will have separate bins for paper/cardboard, bottles/cans, compostables/food scraps and regular trash at most venues. Please make sure to drop your garbage in the appropriate bin so our waste management company can easily recycle what we leave behind. For more information please see: http://recycling.stanford.edu/specialevent/seindex.html
Use public transportation
The Stanford Campus is connected to the surrounding communities via an excellent network of bus and rail systems. If your accommodation is near public transportation, we encourage you to keep your car parked at the hotel. We are working on providing discounted fares for all credentialed athletes. More information will be posted on this website as we get closer to the Games.
Working together, we can all help. Thanks in advance for your attention.