This year’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K takes place on Aug. 6, and as always will be looking to minimize its environmental impact. To that end, event coordinators are calling for additional volunteers to help staff its sustainability program.

Positions in the parking and shuttle bus program are available, as are positions in recycling, composting and the bike corral. Volunteers, whether new or returning, can sign up at www.beach2beacon.org/volunteer.

The B2B’s sustainability program has earned it accolades in the past, and race officials are looking to ratchet up their efforts in 2016. 

“This year the sustainability effort is especially significant because the race is applying for Evergreen certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, the highest category the council awards,” volunteer coordinator Maya Cohen of Cape Elizabeth said in a press release. “We earned Gold last year, so our volunteer needs for greening the race are vital this year to help us reach the next, unprecedented level.”

Reaching Evergreen status would put the B2B in elite company. It would be the first major road race in North America, and only sixth in the world, to garner the distinction. Other Evergreen events include the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships. 

The B2B posted an impressive 72 percent recycling and composting rate; ultimately, race coordinators mean to achieve “zero-waste” status. Similarly, they look to reduce the event’s carbon footprint by offering free bike valet parking for runners, volunteers and spectators – a partnership with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

Volunteers are also needed in the medical tent. Licensed and non-licensed medical professionals are welcome, including doctors, nurses, EMTs, medical assistants and students. Volunteers receive a tech running shirt provided by Nike and are welcomed to an outdoor party organized just for them at a coastal Cape Elizabeth venue.

Roughly 800 volunteers are needed on the whole to ensure the B2B, with its 6500-plus participants from around the globe, goes off without a hitch. 

The annual TD Beach to Beacon attracts thousands of runners, including many of the world’s best, and requires hundreds of volunteers to run smoothly – and greenly.