NYRR Sustainability Vision

At New York Road Runners, our vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running, which also means doing our part to ensure future generations have access to clean air, green spaces, and a healthy world in which to be active.

NYRR Sustainability Pillars

Materiality Matrix
We aim to embed sustainability into everything we do at NYRR, from hosting events, to maintaining our facilities, to giving back to the community. We are committed to minimizing our environmental impact and advancing sustainability across every part of the organization. 

To determine NYRR’s sustainability focus areas, an exercise known as a materiality analysis was conducted. This exercise evaluates sustainability topics based on their importance to both the organization and its stakeholders, helping identify and prioritize the issues that matter most internally and externally. 

The result of the materiality analysis below became NYRR’s Materiality Matrix:

Sustainability Pillars

The results of this materiality analysis were then organized into key focus areas, forming NYRR’s Sustainability Pillars.

Goals and Targets
New York Road Runners aspires to net zero emissions by 2040 and to be a leader in sports sustainability. 

Our goals and targets support the diverse communities we serve and focus on four key areas: emissions, circularity, water, and transparency. 

NYRR in the News

Sustainability Initiatives at the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half

• The 2 pace cars were the fully electric Volvo EX90s.
• >28,000 medals were made in the USA from 100% recycled steel.
• Finisher medal ribbons were made from PET recycled material.
• 990 pounds of discarded runner clothing at the Start was collected and donated to All of Us Clothing.
• 57 Green Team volunteers will be stationed at the 4 Start and 3 Finish Waste Diversion Stations sorting waste into separate categories (recycling, compost, Heatsheets, waste)
• 9,887 pounds of leftover food and recovery bags were donated to City Harvest.
• Gatorade and water cups were composted at a compost farm in upstate NY.

Read more, including race-week events and NYRR Team for Climate highlights, here.

Climate Change and Energy

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Now more than ever, it is crucial for organizations to take decisive action to combat this global challenge. New York Road Runners is committed to reducing our contribution to global climate change and is working to reduce energy use and improve energy efficiency across all areas of the organization.

NYRR Team for Climate

In 2024, NYRR made history as the first major marathon to introduce a guaranteed race entry method that supports sustainability initiatives. NYRR has partnered with Anew Climate, a global climate solutions leader, and committed to use a portion of the funds raised by NYRR Team for Climate to purchase verified carbon credits for improved forest management projects, a practice known as carbon offsetting. NYRR has also committed to using a portion of the funds raised by NYRR Team for Climate for projects within NYRR that reduce the total emissions generated within NYRR’s events and operations, a practice known as carbon insetting. Our aim is to balance the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted, while taking steps to stop emissions from increasing, to deliver a more environmentally friendly racing experience for all our runners.

This program is available at the United Airlines NYC Half, the RBC Brooklyn Half, and the TCS New York City Marathon. After having completed two full years of fundraising, NYRR Team for Climate boasts a deep field of passionate individuals who care about the planet and are using their miles to support meaningful climate action.

For more information on the program, including details on the design of the official team singlet, please visit the website here.

Optional Carbon Offsets at Checkout

About the Initiative

Your travel to an NYRR event emits carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. To offset those emissions, we’ve launched an option for runners to donate toward carbon offsets at checkout in the race-registration process. One hundred percent of your donation will go to verified carbon offset projects from our partner, Anew Climate. All the selected verified carbon offset projects will comply with the American Carbon Registry Standard of ensuring the highest level of scientific integrity for every carbon credit purchased, as we move toward net zero emissions by 2040. See the NYRR Team for Climate page to read more on the carbon offset projects from the inaugural program at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon.

Donation Guide

Please use the chart below to help guide your donations. The Donation Guide estimates the carbon emissions of your participation in an NYRR event, which are calculated based on travel to the event, the scale and impact of the event’s production, and the rates provided by our partner, Anew Climate. Rates for carbon credits are based on project type, vintage, location, co-benefits, market demand, and the specific project development cost including monitoring, reporting, and verification.

*To more specifically calculate how much you should be donating based on your travel to an NYRR event, feel free to use the Environmental Defense Fund’s travel carbon footprint calculator.

Disclaimer:

New York Road Runners acknowledges that offsetting alone will not tackle climate change and can only be credible while also avoiding, reducing, and substituting carbon emissions. NYRR follows the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Code of Practice by purchasing carbon offsets while:

• Measuring our greenhouse gas emissions inventory
• Working toward our goal of Net Zero by 2040
• Fulfilling our reduction efforts: Transitioning to electric vehicles and generators at our events, and Energy Star appliances at our facilities.

Communication

So much of our work at New York Road Runners extends far beyond the organization itself. Our partners and runners make our work possible and play a vital role in advancing our mission. These relationships provide a valuable opportunity to extend our commitment to sustainability beyond race day. We strive to lead by example, encouraging those we work with to adopt and uphold shared sustainable values while driving impactful environmental progress together.

Sports For Climate Action

New York Road Runners is a proud signatory of the  UNFCCC’s Sports for Climate Action Framework. The framework calls on sports organizations to acknowledge their contributions to climate change and the responsibility to strive towards climate neutrality. As a signatory, NYRR continuously prioritizes the framework’s emphasis on undertaking systemic efforts for greater environmental responsibility, reducing overall climate impact, educating, and sharing knowledge, promoting sustainable and responsible consumption, and advocating for climate action.

Circularity refers to systems that prioritize reuse, repair, and recycling to create a closed-loop process that minimizes or eliminates waste. 

By taking a holistic approach to our operations, we are improving efficiency while reducing our environmental impact. This means using resources more responsibly and minimizing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. 

Check out some of the ways that we are working to promote circularity and reduce waste. 

Sustainability Spotlight 

Highlights from New York Road Runner’s Sustainability Initiatives at the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half

• The pace and support cars were fully electric Volvo EX90s.
• 30,000+ medals were made in the USA from 100% recycled steel.
• Finisher medal ribbons were made from PET recycled material.
• 9,423 pounds of discarded runner clothing at the Start were collected and donated to All of Us Clothing.
• 62 Green Team volunteers were stationed at Waste Diversion Stations, sorting waste into separate categories (recycling, compost, Heatsheets, and other waste).
• 5,164 pounds of leftover food and recovery bags were donated to City Harvest.
• Gatorade and water cups were composted at a compost farm in upstate NY.

Culligan, the Official Water Solutions Partner of the RBC Brooklyn Half, provided reusable aluminum bottles to all finishers. NYRR highly encouraged runners to reuse bottles as much as possible, and recycle at EOL (end-of-life); the point when a product is no longer usable

Self-serve Culligan filtered water refill stations were available at the start and finish area for the first time. This initiative helped reduce waste while ensuring runners stayed hydrated. The course also featured volunteer-led water refill stations at miles 4, 6, and 8, giving runners the opportunity to refill their own cups, water bottles, or hydration vests directly.

The RBC Brooklyn Half plogging shakeout event featured participants who picked up litter while jogging or walking and supported a cleaner environment ahead of race day. The group was cheered on by Expo visitors as well as local Brooklyn residents.

Corporate Social Responsibility 

New York Road Runners is also committed to bettering the communities that host our races, community events, and youth programs throughout the year. Through comprehensive sustainability initiatives, we work with our partners and vendors to reduce our environmental impact and leave city streets, parks, schools, and community spaces better than we found them.

NYRR’s Commitment to Plogging
What on earth is plogging? The fitness sensation from Sweden is the environmentally conscious runner’s activity of choice. A combination of the word “jogging” and “plocka upp,” the Sweden phrase for picking up, plogging is picking up litter while you are out for a run or walk.

Litter is a global issue in our communities, waterways, and natural spaces, with significant impacts on both human health and wildlife. Plogging offers a simple way to take direct action by combining physical activity with picking up litter along the way. And just imagine how that impact can grow if you get your whole running crew involved!

Plogging is also a great way to introduce new body movements into your run such as bending, squatting, stretching, and even lunging while you pick up trash. When you plog, you aren’t running for time, you are running to help heal the earth and improve your own strength.

NYRR hosts public plogging events prior to all three of our marquee races: the United Airlines NYC Half, the RBC Brooklyn Half, and the TCS New York City Marathon. Don’t forget to look out for these interactive opportunities on our events calendar and sign up through the links provided.

We also encourage runners and walkers to bring plogging back to their own neighborhoods in New York City and around the world!

NYRR’s Commitment to Service
Each year, NYRR hosts a Day of Service, where all staff members are encouraged to participate in beautifying, cleaning, and supporting a New York City park where NYRR also hosts free programing, such as the Open Run or Striders programs. In July of 2026, 95 staff members came together for the 10th annual Day of Service to beautify Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. Collectively, staff painted 15 benches, collected 19 bags of leaves, and removed over 60 bags of weeds and litter.

Official Charity Programs

New York Road Runners is committed to helping nonprofits change the world for the better through the TCS New York City Marathon and United Airlines NYC Half Official Charity Partner Programs. More than 500 official charity partners are represented, covering a vast and diverse array of causes, including those that are committed to sustainability and environmental action.