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 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 transit systems. If your accommodation is near public transportation, we encourage you to keep your car parked at the hotel. Athletes wearing their 2009 National Senior Games photo credential will be able to use the following public transit services free of charge:
Caltrain - Connects San Francisco to San Jose. The Palo Alto station is half a mile from the Games' main hub at Stanford.
SamTrans - Connects San Mateo County to the Palo Alto Caltrain station.
VTA - Bus and light rail service within Santa Clara County (where Palo Alto and Stanford are located). Bus line 22 connects many athlete hotels along El Camino Real with the Stanford campus.
Marguerite - Stanford's free shuttle buses run various loops on campus and connect the university to the Caltrain station.
Palo Alto Shuttle - This free service connects the Caltrain station to many of
Palo Alto's residential neighborhoods.
All of our public transit agency partners are pleased to participate in this effort, and hope you utilize and support our hometown transit systems. They wish you success on the field of play and a wonderful visit to the Bay Area. More details about this exciting program will be posted soon on our website. To explore your public transit options, please visit 511.org and select the Trip Planner. Note: Friends, family as well as athletes without a credential are required to pay full fare (except Marguerite and Palo Alto Shuttle).
Working together, we can all help. Thanks in advance for your attention.
Learn more about our environmental commitment. Download the brochure.