The Council for Responsible Sport announced on Wednesday, June 19, that the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run have become early signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action Initiative.

The Sports for Climate Action Initiative invites sport event hosts to declare their recognition of “the critical need for cities, regions, companies and investors from around the globe to help implement the Paris Climate Agreement and accelerate the transformative change needed to reach greenhouse gas (GHG) emission neutrality in the second half of the twenty-first century.”

The commitments announced last week represent events that host over 100,000 participants and more than a million onlookers annually. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is one of the largest sports gatherings in the United States with over 40,000 participants each year.

For the past decade, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has applied the standards set forth by the Council for Responsible Sport to improve performance on social and environmental impacts. This led to numerous honors, beginning with its first certification in 2010 and culminating with it becoming the first marathon to earn the highest level, Evergreen certification in 2016, a status it maintains today.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile run, held each spring in Washington, first earned responsible sport certification at the silver level in 2011. Through determination, it reached gold standards in 2015 and continues that high level today.

We at Heatsheets are proud to be affiliated with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile run. because they possess the commitment to excellence, passion for innovation and present themselves as a positive force in the fight against climate change.