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Author: Adam Bratton Read Time: 4 mins  If you’ve been a part of the Human Powered Movement community for any extended period of time, you’ve undoubtedly seen our eco-friendly approach across all facets of the HPM vibe. Sustainable Merch, Cup Free Events, Highway and Stream Cleanups, 1% For The Planet Membership, and more. I previously penned a journal in April of 2022 entitled “Will You Love Mother Earth With Us?” and figured it was time to spotlight some new efforts that HPM is doing and how you can be a part of that planet friendly, tree hugging approach! From the very beginning, the crown jewel of our Eco-Friendly Online Store is clearly Recover Brands. A truly sustainable apparel company using 100% recycled materials manufactured in their HyperLocal(TM) Supply Chains, with an “in-house” T-Shirt recycling program (360’ Closed Loop Program) to keep products out of the landfill at the end of its use!  Our event shirts are exclusively and proudly Recover since day #1 and in addition to our wide range of other Recover products (hoodies, jerseys, tanks, totes etc), we’ve also included a variety of performance hats from Headsweats (sister company to Recover) that is also made from recycled materials! Add to that our HPM x Sierra Nevada Steel Pints made from 90% recycled steel by Klean Kanteen, our HPM x MoosePacks Bikepacking Bags handmade with recycled materials by our pal Matt Moosa, and some fun goodies like our HPM x Sierra Nevada Bandanna, HPM x DeFeet Socks (made from US Wool & recycled polyester yarn), wooden coasters, wooden stickers, and even our custom painted skateboard which are all sourced and sustainably made within a bike ride of our basecamp of Charlotte, NC! Pro Tip: This year’s Psychoactive Last Runner Standing shirt is a BRAND NEW “Sport Stretch” fabric from Recover that hasn’t even been released to the public yet! We’ll also premiere Recover’s brand new, high end/low waste “Impact Jacket” at Psycho with one lucky winner going home with one of these beauties!!  Also from the very beginning, we’ve been a faithful and proud 1% For The Planet Member. This annual commitment requires HPM to give a minimum of 1% of ALL revenues (event reg, merch sales, sponsorships, etc) to approved environmental non-profits. We’re proud to share that our lifetime giving has eclipsed $15,000 to some of our favorite “Boots On The Ground” planet loving orgs like Catawba Riverkeeper, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Trips for Kids Charlotte/ReCyclery, Carolina Farm Trust, Sustain Charlotte, and more. For the math majors out there trying to calculate our annual revenue, just know that we’ve routinely hit 12%+ giving which obviously blows the 1% minimum out of the water. We talk a lot about environmental love, but we also back it up as we continue to lead by example and encourage you to join us in these ongoing efforts! (AKA: When you support us, you are supporting our planet … in a big way!) (Pro Tip: Keep your eyes peeled for the annual 1% For the Planet Network Auction coming up this fall … you might just see an auction item that might spike your interest while supporting Mother Earth!)  Starting in 2024, all of our in-person events have gone Cup Free. This isn’t a new concept in endurance sports (nor is it easy logistically for participants or event promoters) but it just doesn’t make any logical sense for a single use cup to be used at an Aid Station for a few seconds and then live in the landfill or in many cases our waterways forever. A small sacrifice that we can ALL make to be better stewards of our environment. This is also where the HPM x Sierra Nevada Steel Pints come in handy as we use these for many of our event awards … want to rehydrate when you’re done … gotcha covered. We’ve also linked up with our friends at Around The Crown 10K to repurpose their remaining HydraPak SpeedCups from a previous ATC event so that we have options for those that don’t bring their own handheld or drinking vessel on event day. (Pro Tip: For every Around The Crown SpeedCup that is purchased at our Psychoactive Last Runner Standing Event on 9/7/24, HPM and ATC will both donate an additional $5 to our host venue Blackberry Ridge Farm who is using all proceeds to preserve and conserve indigenous grasses and plants around the family owned farm!)  We’ve all speed past countless signs on the road about companies, organizations or families that have “adopted” a steam or a highway, well we are one of them! (Nudge: you can do this in your own neck of the woods too!) Our sister company, MJ Bratton, has adopted a stream and HPM has adopted a highway that we cleanup a minimum of 4 times per year. I’ll be honest, it is a pretty cool feeling to get encouraging honks each and every time we are out doing our part to make our community a little bit better, and cleaner, every day. (Pro Tip: We are hosting our “Psycho Preview Event & Roadside Cleanup” on Sat, Aug 24. Even if you aren’t running in the event, you can still be a part of HPM’s environmental efforts! You can also bring any of your old or unused shirts to be recycled through Recover's 360 Closed Loop Program and old or unused shoes to be recycled/repurposed through GotSneakers)  The point of all these efforts is to encourage to you join us in being a more conscious consumer, event participant, and advocate for OUR environment in your own sphere of influence each and everyday of your lives. We may not see the fruits of our current labors, but our future generations will. (Pro Tip: They will be eternally grateful for it as well) I ended the last "Eco-Focused" Journal with the same ending that still rings true today. "We’ll continue to lead you to the aid station, but it’s up to you to drink the water". Take a swig ... You might like what you taste, and it might be the boost that you need to propel you to a more sustainable future for yourself, your community and your future ... OUR future.  Journal - 4 Ways We, And You, Are Helping OUR PlanetComments are closed.
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