Blog Archives

Pat’s Run: Driving Sustainability and Community Impact

4/29/2025

Pat’s Run isn’t just about honoring a legacy — it’s also a platform for creating positive environmental and social change. This year, our sustainability and community efforts were stronger than ever, thanks to our dedicated Green Team and generous volunteers.

Greening the Event

Sustainability was front and center at Pat’s Run. Through strategic planning and hands-on efforts, we made major strides in waste diversion. In total, we diverted 13.4 tons of material from the landfill —

achieving a 81% diversion rate. These results reflect the commitment of the Pat Tillman Foundation to reducing environmental impact and setting a standard for sustainable events.

13.4 Tons Diverted - 81% Diversion!
- 9.8 tons Food Rescue
- 3 tons Recyclables
- 1,024 lbs Compostables
- 238 lbs Soft Plastics

Supporting the Community

Beyond reducing waste, Pat’s Run gave back to the local community in meaningful ways. Through partnerships and food recovery efforts, we helped make sure no resource went unused. Our rescued food supported local food banks and shelters, providing nourishment to individuals and families facing food insecurity. The ripple effect of these efforts is felt long after race day.

Powered by People
None of this would be possible without the amazing people behind the scenes. This year’s success was powered by:

$8,038 Value of Volunteer Time
341 On Site Hours
80 Volunteers
13 Staff

We’re incredibly grateful for everyone who showed up, sorted waste, hauled bins, and spread the sustainability message. Your time, energy, and passion made this impact possible.

Recognizing Our Champions
This year’s achievements were made possible thanks to the incredible commitment of our partners and volunteers. We are sincerely grateful to the organizations and individuals whose dedication brought this impact to life:
Thank You to Our Partners:

Partners: Felicia, Ashley, Aimee, Brandon, Joseph, Kyleigh, Caitlin, Isabella, Pamela, Matthew, Tynan, Brennan, Jillian, David, Donisha, Eduardo, Lianne, Meagan, Paul, Phillip, Chiara, Elias, Gemini, Gretchen, Jennifer, Michelle, Muhammad, Tre, and Ty

Green Team Staff & Volunteers:
Ashley, Aimee, Felicia, Miranda, Marcus, Kyleigh, Eduardo, Caitlin, Borislav, Brennan, Kayla, Kourtney, Matthew, Landon, Tim, Isaiah, Jackson, Braedon, Joel, Ronan, Vinay, Benjamin, Jordan, Rhyan, Ben, Trey, Will, Bryce, Bobby, Aman, Tanner, Blake, Riley, Zach, Connor, Brody, Ryan, Lucas, Friedrich, Gus, JP, Juan, Giancarlo, Kincaid, Niyathi, Harshini, Gabriela, Zackery, Kacey, Sydney, Anne, Kepler, Haotong, Said, Eva, Ahmet, Shashank, Brian, Daphne, Kendal, Tony, Jasmine, Nicole, Haylee, Kathy, Kyle, Tyler, Austin, Hiladrio, Liliana, Anjela, Klare, Navasta, Nicholas, Lai, Eleanoré, Fawn, Sophia, Stephen, Mario, Daisy, Vanessa, Giddeon, Janice, Kiana, Savannah, Jaevion, Guadalupe, Phoebe, Allison, Raul, Frank, Daniel, Reese, Matthew, Luke, Cooper, Aneesh, Chris, Jaime, Nolan, Sam, Michael, Nathan, and Cayden

Author: Clark is a Sustainability major at ASU with an emphasis on energy.
Connect with Clark on LinkedIn.

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M3F: Starving the Landfill and Education for a Greener Future

4/17/2025

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March 7th-8th, 2025, marked another successful year for M3F, not only as a premier music and arts festival but also as a leader in sustainable event practices. With a commitment to environmental responsibility, M3F's sustainability efforts focused on waste diversion and environmental education, making a significant impact on the festival's sustainability efforts.

By the Numbers: A Community Effort

18,000 Event Attendees enjoyed the festival, experiencing both incredible music and an eco-conscious event environment.
193 Volunteers and Staff worked tirelessly to maximize the recycling and composting efforts.
$25,955 Value of Volunteer Hours contributed to making M3F a green festival.
HDR Corporate Volunteers played a key role in supporting sustainability efforts on-site.

Waste Diversion Success: 56% Kept Out of Landfills

One of M3F’s primary goals is to StarvetheLandfillandfill, and this year, the Green Team achieved a 56% waste diversion rate, ensuring that 3.5 tons of waste were redirected from the landfill through proper waste
management channels.

Composting: 4,520 lbs Thanks to our partners atWaste Management, giving organic waste a second life.
Comingled Recycling: 2,161 lbs Thanks to our partners at Waste Management, reducing waste sent to the landfill.
Soft Plastics Recycling: 275 lbs Thanks to our partners at Goodman’s, further preventing plastic pollution.

Educating for a Sustainable Future

Beyond waste diversion, M3F emphasized environmental education and raising awareness for sustainability, ensuring attendees understood the importance of responsible waste disposal and sustainable practices.

Volunteer “Bin Guarded” which means they stood at the waste stations to engage with festival goers, educating about what items belong in each bin.
Our staff collaborated with the 16 food truck vendors to educate them about composting and provided buckets for their compost.
Our CEO made a stage announcement to share how the festival goers can participate in the festival’s sustainability efforts.
Information about the festival’s sustainability efforts was provided at the festival Info Booth.

Thank You to Our Partners!

This success would not have been possible without the collaboration of our dedicated partners and sustainability champions. A huge thank you to our sustainability champions!

Partners: Rachel Blanchard, Don McDougald, Robin Martin, Kirsten Red, Terry Gellenbeck, Mackenzie McGuffie, Catherine Callaway, Jonathan Torres, Josie Kohlan, Penny Czebotar.

Green Team Volunteers & Staff: Aimee, Brennan, Eduardo, Emily, Kourtney, Tynan, Muhammad Luthfi, Sumedh, Robert, Tre, Erica, Nic, Hayley, Corey, Chelsey, Jennifer, David, William, Nicoletta, Jenna, Clayton, Ashley, Maya, Nathan, Julia, Tova, Sophia, Samantha, Matthew, Danny, Nicholas, Alexander, Josh, Ava, Jude, Anthony, Xavier, Ryder, Kate, Kat, Whitney, Joseph, Madisen, Alexis, Asa, Ema, Allison, Hailee, Delainey, Dominique, Alyssa, Meghan, Cierra, Nick, Luke, Ribhu, Hitesh, Sana, Aaron, Paris, Paulina, Andrew, Rachel, Wyatt, Carson, Issabelle, Daniel, Priscilla, Kyla, Katherine, Alexandra, Madison, Angelica, Kenna, Ena, Noah, Jenny, Henry, Jullian, Jean, Juan, Jolene, Sarah, Melissa, Evan, Sierra, Borislav, Emeral, Felicia, Gerald, Oliver, Sandra, Wayne, Christopher, Kyleigh, Grace, Sierrah, Blaise, Maria, Jose, Vivica, JennyLynn, Zoe, Makayla, Ryan, Adam, Elizabeth, Valentin, Amber, Alex, Paul, Aurelia, Taryn, Cody, Amin, Shawn, Eric, Kayla, Jarec, Kiel, Milton, Mckenna, Morgan, Mikaela, Demetra, Darian, Waverly, Anne, Anna, Samual, Deja, Chloe, Travis, Jennifur, Alana, Allen, Zach, Courtney, Lyle, Sophie, Lilly, Jonathan, Zitlally, Olivia, Domenic, Noelle, Kaylah, Lou, Megan, Giovanni, Meagan, Miguel, Phillip, Terrilynn, and Erika.

Looking Ahead

M3F continues to set the standard for sustainability in the festival world, proving that large-scale events can be both entertaining and environmentally responsible. With continued support from volunteers, corporate partners like HDR, and dedicated waste management services, we aim to further increase waste diversion rates and educate even more attendees in the coming years. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making M3F 2024 a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable experience!