runstyle

By Suzanne Blecher I t's no secret that the outdoor community is pretty advanced when it comes to saving the planet. It makes sense; the livelihood of the industry is about enjoying nature. Alternatively, running is about bettering one's self. Fresh, clean air, combined with cardio, provides amazing physical and mental health benefits. But lest we forget, runners spend a lot of time outside too. We're already seeing weather extremes occur, so how can one person make an impact? How can the running industry as a whole make an impact? "We have to start protecting the ground that we run on," states Keri Straughn, co-founder of the Low Impact Alliance. e Low Impact Alliance (LIA) was founded in 2021 by Straughn and her brother, Christian Fyfe, as they recognized the need to "look beyond profit to people and the planet by incorporating more sustainable efforts," at their shop, Palmetto Running Company, according to Fyfe. As more run specialty store owners embark on retirement and new Millennial owners trickle in, like Straughn and Fyfe, they saw the need to think with a more global mindset. Building on their own efforts — like carrying eco-friendly product, participating in monthly local trash clean ups and donating race funds to charity — the pair is looking to strengthen the running community in a more sustainable way. "We view run specialty as a vehicle for change. We are inspired to do what we do locally on a more national scale," Fyfe says. LIA, still evolving as it grows, is a collective made up of retailers, brands, and runners committed to bringing on environmental responsibility and change within the running industry. Members of LIA commit to being involved in the group's efforts to spread awareness and hold accountability within the running community. We chatted with the co-founders to learn more about LIA's pursuits. Why is it important for the running community to start caring more about sustainability? Straughn: "Being a business owner is about more than what you sell and making money. It's about the impact you have. Out store is on Hilton Head Island and sea life is so important for us. We have over 500 sea turtle nests here a year. e land we live on is very important. We try to connect the dots so you see the impact on sea life and nature where you live." What are some of the challenges you have faced in growing the LIA? Fyfe: "e LIA comes in as a way to bring retailers, brands, race directors — everyone that has impact on the running community — to be a bridge that brings people together. It's very clear that there need to be efforts made with the supply chain to stop polluting in the industry. e problem, however, is that brands are making these changes behind closed doors, so there's little transparency of the efforts. At the same time, there's very little education toward consumers to want them to make these changes. We are in the middle of doing a greenhouse gas emissions report for retailers and will deliver that for free to give them an idea of their carbon footprint. We would love to be able to measure product impact on the earth, but there is no agreed upon metric for the sustainability of a product. Some brands like Asics and Allbirds list product carbon emissions, but not all are on the same scale. On's main discussion is about their recycled content. So, there are a lot of different languages when it comes to sustainability. ere's an inability to compare and evolve without that common ground. e goal is to have an industry approved metric. e demand is there from retailers for a seal of Q&A 20 runstyle Fall 2023 runstylemag.com PACING TOWARD A SMALLER FOOTPRINT LOW IMPACT ALLIANCE WANTS THE RUNNING COMMUNITY TO CARE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. Christian Fyfe and Keri Straughn. "Being a business owner is about more than what you sell and making money. It's about the impact you have." —KERI STRAUGHN

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