Since 1981, Clean Air Council has held the Run for Clean Air in Philadelphia to celebrate Earth Day. 11 years earlier, Clean Air Council hosted the Philadelphia event for the first ever Earth Day in 1970. Over the years, the Run for Clean Air is one of the region’s longest-running charity races and its largest Earth Day event.
We’re proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this year at the Run for Clean Air presented by Toyota Hybrids as a virtual race.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
(1) Register for the race online (just choose the Virtual 5K, 10K or 3K walk).
(2) Prepare for the race by training for your race and post to social media because if people don’t know about your Run for Clean Air training runs, did they even happen?
(3) Now it’s time to Run for Clean Air! Fire up your favorite running app and hit the street, trail, track, or treadmill. We HIGHLY encourage our runners to run their race during Earth Week, from April 18th to the 26th.
(4) Submit your time through the Run for Clean Air RunSignUp page between April 18th and May 1st.
(5) Get your medal and shirt! We hope that by early May we can set up a pickup day at the Clean Air Council office or we can mail them right to you!
***Don’t forget to tell friends and family about the region’s biggest Earth Day Race. Post before, during, and after your virtual race to spread the word and make the biggest impact this Earth Day.
The Clean Air Council is celebrating commuters and employers all over Philadelphia this year with the 2018 Clean Air Commute Awards! Companies and employees that have been nominated have touted their best sustainable commutes and commuting benefits, and while we are excited to have so many great nominations this year, only two can win. Read more about the winners of the Clean Air Commuter and Clean Air Employer Awards below!
Clean Air Commuter Winner- Christopher Johnson, Director of Technology, The Green Program
Christopher Johnson is the epitome of a dedicated commuter with a commute from Mount Airy to City Hall by bike everyday. Before Christopher started biking, he took the commuter rail to Center City, finding a few minutes to walk during his mornings and evenings, but after hearing about the Love to Ride Challenge, a month-long biking challenge in October 2017, he jumped on his uncle’s bike to get in shape and save money.
Today, Christopher bikes to work from his home in Germantown and uses the opportunity not only to get to the office, but work towards personal goals!
“Love to Ride was a cool opportunity to challenge my own ability, get better at biking and taking care of my bike, explore my city, and bond with my co-working fam.”
Nominated by a co-worker, Christopher’s dedication to commuting is noticed by his office and the Clean Air Council. In honor of his hard work, Christopher has won a gift card to his local bike shop. Congratulations Christopher!
Clean Air Employer Winner- Kieran Timberlake
Kieran Timberlake, an architecture firm based in Northern Liberties, has been supporting sustainable commuting for over 10 years! Employees can sign up to use pre-tax dollars for transit passes and other commuting options through Wageworks. Kieran Timberlake also makes it easy for employees to bike to work knowing they will have a secure area to store their bikes and showers to freshen up before heading into the office.
“One of the reasons we chose to locate our studio in Northern Liberties was so our staff could travel easily by bike and public transportation each day.” says Carin Whitney, Communications Director at Kieran Timberlake, “This has had a huge impact on everyone’s health and well-being and lets us be good stewards of the environment.”
The benefits provided by Kieran Timberlake exhibit how easy it is for companies to increase retention, reduce their carbon footprint and save money!
Clean Air Council is excited to recognize Kieran Timberlake as our Clean Air Commute Employer of 2018!
Want to learn more about how you can win next year? Clean Air Council provides free services to help you bring benefits to your office with programs to help you save money and promote sustainable commuting. Email Kamali Alloway kalloway@cleanair.org or call 215-567-4004 ext 131 for more information.
The Run for Clean Air is a celebration of sustainable and healthy neighborhoods, clean air, and improving the region’s environmental health. As the proud presenting sponsor, Toyota Hybrids has plenty of reasons to get out and show your support.
Run for Clean Air participants, friends and family are all welcome to stop by the Toyota Hybrids display next to the park, near the museum. Toyota will have their full hybrid lineup of vehicles on display, including the Prius Prime, RAV4 Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid, all of which you can sit inside and experience first-hand.
Toyota Hybrids will have plenty of awesome gear to give away. You can score fun souvenirs, from branded reusable water bottles made with recycled materials to sunglasses, tote bags, and flower and vegetable seeds you can plant in your garden.
Enjoy the Run for Clean Air and be sure to visit the Toyota Hybrids display to explore all eight Toyota Hybrid vehicles, and score some free stuff while you’re at it! We’ll see you at the Run!
If you need to sign up for the Run for Clean Air, visit cleanair.org/runforcleanair. And visit runforcleanair.org/Toyota to learn more about Toyota’s groundbreaking hybrid lineup.
So you can’t make it to the Run for Clean Air on April 22nd at the Art Museum – no big deal! You can still support Clean Air Council and celebrate Earth Day by participating in our all-new Virtual 5K. It’s easy to understand that just like any other race you need to log training miles, but virtual race day can be a bit of a mystery. Here are our tips and tricks for making the Run for Clean Air Virtual 5K your best race of the year.
Plogging is a Swedish fitness craze where runners pick up litter. It’s as easy as toting a small plastic bag on your run – you can even start your run empty-handed and find a littered bag to use as a receptacle. Plogging is a great way to go the extra mile for the environment while you compete in the Virtual 5K. Clean Air Council is even helping to organize Philly Plogging Week in neighborhoods around the city from April 9th through the 15th if you want to plog with a group.
You’re no longer stuck running whatever course the race director likes. Mountain, beach, trail, city street, or treadmill – the Virtual 5K allows you to pick your ideal course. Use the race as an excuse to explore and run in a new locale. Maybe even run past a waterfall?
Having a running buddy or group is the best way to motivate you, set an optimal pace, keep you safe, and have fun! Call a friend (or 10) and invite them to Run for Clean Air with you. Bonus – your buddy can help you with the last tip on this list.
Running during sunrise or sunset lends itself to spectacular visuals – like a personal firework show starting or ending your race. For the duration of your run, you will enjoy a beautiful light show brought to you by mother nature. Since this option involves at least partially running in the near-darkness, we highly suggest bringing a running buddy along for safety and ghost stories.
There’s a reason why races always have long porta-potty lines. Make sure to plan a quick pit stop before and after your race. Whether it’s popping into a coffee shop or swinging by a park with restrooms, you’ll be happy that you made the extra effort.
When you’re racing – as opposed to training – you’re exerting maximum effort (we assume). Most 5Ks have water at the ½ way point and finish of the race. Plan to have at least 16 oz of water available immediately after you finish or wear a hydration belt. And if you’re planning on ending your Virtual Run at your favorite bar, remember that and you’ll still need to down water.
While most organized races have a sophisticated timing system and certified course, the Virtual 5K relies on you to measure distance and speed. Whether it’s an app on your phone or a GPS watch, have a reliable tool that you are familiar with and comfortable using. Don’t have a favorite tool and not sure where to start? We recommend Map My Run and Strava apps.
Last and most important tip – snap selfies or pose for a friend to show off your Virtual 5K finish. Show everyone that you are part of the Run for Clean Air community. You’ve earned the right to brag about your accomplishment and commitment to supporting clean air and a healthy environment.
The Swedish fitness craze, plogging, hits Philadelphia with dozens of local running groups participating in the first ever Philly Plogging Week to clean up litter.
WHAT: Clean Air Council, Not in Philly, Pennsylvania Resources Council, and West Philly Runners will host the first ever Philly Plogging Week, April 9th – 15th, 2018. As a lead up to Earth Day and the Run for Clean Air on April 22, hundreds of runners will pick up litter as they participate in their weekly runs. Plogging, an activity gaining popularity in the United States, is not only good for the body and mind, it helps the environment. Bags and gloves will be provided to all runners participating in group runs, courtesy of Pennsylvania Resources Council. For a full list of Philly Plogging Week group runs, visit Clean Air Council’s website.
WHO: West Philly Runners
Clean Air Council representatives
Not In Philly representatives
Pennsylvania Resources Council representatives
100s of runners from running groups across Philadelphia
WHEN: Monday, April 9th through Sunday, April 15th – Full schedule
WHERE: Philly Plogging Week daily group runs – Full schedule and locations
WHY: The word plogging is a portmanteau of the word jogging and plocka upp (the Swedish term for pick up). Philly Plogging week aims to create awareness around the effects of litter on our neighborhoods and environment. There is a city-wide need for better litter management practices like street sweeping and public waste receptacles. Litter discarded in streets and public spaces can easily travel through the stormwater system to our waterways, costing the City of Philadelphia enormous sums to clean up and harming wildlife. By participating in Plogging Week, runners demonstrate their commitment to a clean and healthy environment
MORE ABOUT RUN FOR CLEAN AIR: Philly Plogging Week leads up to Philadelphia’s largest Earth Day celebration and popular spring race, Clean Air Council’s Run for Clean Air presented by Toyota Hybrids. This year’s 37th annual Run for Clean Air will be held on Earth Day — April 22, 2018, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This year’s Run for Clean Air event will begin at Paine’s Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive next to the Philadelphia Art Museum. More than 2,000 runners are expected to join in this year’s certified-green Run for Clean Air, the region’s largest Earth Day celebration and one of its longest-running charity races. 10K Run, 5K Run, 3K Walk and Kids’ Fun Run. For the first time, runners around the country can also celebrate Earth Day and support Clean Air Council by running a Virtual 5K race in the week before and after Earth Day.
HASHTAG: #PloggingPHL
ABOUT NOT IN PHILLY
NotInPhilly.org is the first map-enabled adopt-a-block site in the country. Over 1,000 Philadelphians have committed to cleaning their block of litter by going out once a week.
ABOUT CLEAN AIR COUNCIL
Clean Air Council is a member-supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to breathe clean air. The Council is headquartered in Philadelphia and works through public education, community organizing, advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more information, please visit www.cleanair.org.
ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA RESOURCES COUNCIL
The Pennsylvania Resources Council is Pennsylvania’s oldest grassroots environmental organization, founded in 1939. PRC works with a broad coalition of stakeholders to protect the Commonwealth’s resources for future generations. They provide innovative programming on conservation issues including litter prevention, recycling, waste diversion, watershed stewardship, environmental education, and green living. To learn more, visit www.prc.org.
ABOUT WEST PHILLY RUNNERS
West Philly Runners meets for group runs every Wednesday, running three distances: 2, 4, and 6 miles. Runs end at a local establishment where they rehydrate and reenergize. Runners of all skill-level are welcome and paces vary from turtles to squirrels.
On April 22, thousands of righteous runners will lace up their sneakers and do their part for the environment in the 37th Annual Run for Clean Air, presented by Toyota Hybrids. A certified green event, the Run is a celebration of sustainable and healthy neighborhoods, clean air and environmental health.
For the fifth year in a row, Toyota Hybrids is proud to participate in the Run for Clean Air. Toyota’s lineup features eight hybrid vehicles like the Prius, RAV4 Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid that help you drive well by day and sleep well at night. With a wide selection of hybrid sedans and SUV models, everyone can find a Toyota Hybrid that fits his or her needs.
And Toyota continues to push the innovation envelope. Take the 2018 Prius Prime, the hybrid you can charge for boundary-pushing efficiency. And the 2018 Toyota Mirai – developed through more than 20 years of in-house hydrogen fuel cell research to run on hydrogen and oxygen alone. The Mirai’s only emission is water vapor. That’s almost enough to inspire tears of joy. The Clean Air Council’s mission aligns with Toyota’s ongoing commitment to the development of vehicles that help reduce carbon emissions.
Toyota continues to strive to stay at the forefront of alternative-fuel leadership, and to provide tools to help everyone better the environment. This April, the Clean Air Council, the City of Philadelphia and Toyota Hybrids are making it easier than ever to be a force for environmental good.
If you still haven’t signed up for the Run for Clean Air, visit cleanair.org/runforcleanair to register for the event. And visit cleanair.org/runforcleanair/toyota-hybrids to learn more about Toyota’s groundbreaking hybrid lineup.
Time is ticking down. The Philadelphia Marathon, which will be my first (maybe last?) attempt at running 26.2 miles, is right around the corner. As the Council’s Transportation Program Director, I have always taken a lot of pride in how closely my passion for cycling aligns with my job. Obviously living in Philadelphia I also love to walk to my closer destinations and mix in public transit when I’m going a bit further. So I felt like I had a responsibility to at least give this running thing a shot, to round out the low/zero emission ways that people move around (I already tried skateboarding as a kid, I guess roller skates are all that is left).
Because running is sustainable transportation, and because the only experience I have with running is volunteering at the Council’s annual Run for Clean Air in April (April 9th, 2017 – save the date now!) I felt it only natural to run the marathon on behalf of the Run for Clean Air. Coming from a cycling background, I am pretty confident in my cardiovascular preparation for the event, but I now have a much deeper respect for the strength that running requires from your legs’ joints, bones, and muscles. Building up to that without injuring myself has been the priority of my training.
Another priority has been immersing myself in a completely new activity. I want to thank my fellow runners and my running group, Point Breeze Runners, for showing me the ropes. Of course, I’ve been reading up on running blogs and tips for first-time marathoners like crazy, but I’ve also been getting a crash course in how to behave appropriately on the sidewalk or trail while I’m running. How much room to give people when passing, how to run in a group, how to interact with cars safely, and I’ve been getting some of it wrong along the way – but I’m trying! Respecting all road users is a priority for me as I learn how this large group of people, runners, interacts with our city infrastructure.
Training has gone well for the most part. I’ve gradually extended my distance up to 20 miles without any bad injuries, but unfortunately on that run about a month ago I did irritate something in my hip. I’m pretty optimistic about it though, it has given me the perfect opportunity to scale back my running so I am nice and fresh on race day. I also have a secret weapon – Eric Cheung, the Council’s Deputy Director has promised to meet me at mile 20 and run the last 6 miles back into town with me. Thanks for the support Eric! If any Clean Air Council members are watching on race day, be sure to give me/us a cheer. I’ll be the one in a Run for Clean Air shirt looking like he doesn’t belong but having a great time.
