Along the Charles River, tents rose, food sizzled, and crowds roared for the annual Head of the Charles Regatta. But amid the frenzy, one group in bright green pushed themselves toward a different goal; composting.
For the HOCR Sustainability Committee, this year’s regatta marked not only the 60th anniversary of the race, but also the sixth anniversary of their program, and the most successful one thus far. Founded in 2019, the committee has seen a dramatic increase in the success of its composting program, with a jump from a 15% diversion rate in its first year to a 49% diversion rate in 2023. The diversion rate is the amount of recycling and compost that has been diverted from being dumped in landfills as trash.
While this year’s diversion rates are not yet out, Courtney Forrester, the chair of the Sustainability Committee, hopes it passed the 50% mark. Forrester says that sustainability is crucial for every sporting event, especially rowing, as athletes rely on the environment to be at its best.
“We won’t be able to row or run or recreate or bike or whatever it is if we don’t have places that have clean air and water to do so,” said Forrester. “So I think it’s really critical.”
The work of the committee mainly centers around composting. There were many composting and recycling stations across the regatta course, with 200 volunteers manning the stations to help regatta attendees dispose of their items correctly. Each food vendor at the regatta was required to have all serving items be BPI-certified as biodegradable, meaning the items meet industrial composting standards.
Other items, like the packets handed out to teams with race information, which are typically plastic, have also been made into compostable materials. The regatta partners with Black Earth, a Massachusetts-based company that collects food scraps from residents and institutions and turns them into farm-grade compost for farms and garden centers.
The regatta’s recycling program operates through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Volunteers ensure that all recycled material is clean and able to be recycled. Additionally, there are several water bottle-filling stations throughout the regatta grounds to reduce single-use plastic.
Forrester said that a large part of the success so far has been because of the volunteers, who she describes as being “fantastic.” She said that despite the job coming off as menial, with volunteers standing at trash, recycling, and compost stations for hours at a time, they have been more than enthusiastic.
“We ask them to make sure the compost stays clean, like nothing contaminating goes in there,” said Forrester. “And my volunteers are like spelunking in those bins and getting in there and doing it because it’s so satisfying to do the right thing.”
Liz Marcott, one of the sustainability volunteers, is in her second year with the Sustainability Committee. She says that in her first year, she started because it was the last option left, but that she came back because of how rewarding it was. The HOCR hosts over 2,400 dedicated volunteers across 30 different committees. Volunteers assist in all aspects of the race, from dock to food support, and the regatta often receives more applications than they have positions.
“Everyone wants to do the right thing, so when you’re guiding people where to put their trash, they’re excited to help you make the event more sustainable, and you’re excited to help them do it right,” said Marcott. “It’s like a feel-good day.”
Forrester said that the committee has gotten a lot of positive feedback from the public. She added that it’s been important to be one of the few public-facing groups and that their continued presence has spread awareness about sustainability.
“The awareness we now have—the competitors, the participants are like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve seen this. This is so great.’ They know to do it,” said Forrester. “And it’s increasing every year as we build this army of waste ambassadors.”
Liz Dill, one of the sustainability co-chairs, echoed this sentiment, saying that one of their goals has been education.
“We look at it as a huge opportunity to educate people, and hopefully then they’ll go home and think about what they do with their food waste,” said Dill.
One of the biggest challenges the committee has faced has been vendor compliance, which has been difficult to regulate, according to Forrester. She said that some vendors have struggled with understanding what compostable products are. For example, many have assumed that all paper is compostable, but many paper food products have plastic linings or chemicals. In the face of this, the committee set up an ordering portal that details what specific products are compliant and where they can be bought.
“We’ve had varying success with the vendor compliance… some things are not compostable, and so we help with that,” said Forrester.
Another challenge has been setting up infrastructure, according to Forrester. With most of the regatta being temporary buildings, much of the initial work for the committee was creating its own infrastructure.
“It’s not like you’re in a building and you just use what’s there. You have to set up these tents and these containers—we’re building a little tent city for the weekend,” said Forrester.
Now that they have the infrastructure, Forrester says she has been in communication with other sporting events, like the Boston Marathon, to help them set up similar programs. She said that the most important thing for success at these events is to make sure it is easy for the attendees.
Moving forward, the sustainability committee hopes to continue to increase its diversion rate and education surrounding composting and recycling. The most important thing for them, according to the co-chairs, Dill and John McGough, is to treat the land they are on with respect.
“We’re on borrowed land, we’re on shared land,” said McGough. “[The Head of the Charles] really wants to be the best stewards of that resource as possible.”