Gallery: TrackTown12 shows off its green

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Event organizers hope to complete the trials with 75 percent of waste diverted from the landfill, up from 68 percent diverted at the same event in 2008.

TrackTown12’s goal to be the most sustainable event in North America this year reaches well beyond Eugene where the U.S. Olympic Trials for Track and Field are going on through July 1.

Organizers have partnered with the Portland-based Council for Responsible Sport to develop and pilot the first-ever ReSport certification process for multi-day sporting events, setting new standards in areas ranging from waste management and climate impact to community involvement and health promotion. In other words, what happens in Eugene isn’t going to stay in Eugene.

Eugene08 set new standards for sustainability at Olympic events and organizers set out to do even better this year.

“In 2008, we had a bunch of volunteers working really hard to make a one-off impact. It wasn’t sustainable,” said Ethan Nelson, waste prevention and green building programs manager for the city of Eugene. “Now we’re working on business models that are scalable and replicable for any event.”

In addition to the certification system, the TrackTown team will produce a detailed report about the event’s sustainability efforts that other cities will be able to use when planning similar events.

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SportsOne, the Beaverton company that partnered with Eugene to put on the festival outside Hayward Field, will also apply refined green metrics to future events. “It’s a legacy for us,” said Joe Kaleel, SportsOne creative director.

Click on the image above to take a look at the event's sustainability efforts.