Chiquita Celebrates Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend As Official Banana Sponsor
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - The happiest place on earth will be overfilling with the magic of bananas at the upcoming Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend. Chiquita Brands has been named the official banana sponsor of the race season and will be donating more than 100,000 bananas to runners and spectators at the first upcoming event. Disney and Chiquita are also joining forces to implement a banana peel collection and recycling process for the 2018-2019 race season as part of a larger strategy to bolster environmental responsibility.
“Chiquita aspires to be a ‘Good Neighbor,’ and is committed to making a difference with consumers and the communities we serve. We want to leverage our global recognition and the reach of our Blue Sticker, especially when it comes to promoting recycling and a cleaner environment,” said Jamie Postell, Chiquita's Director of Sales North America. “We hope the spectators and runners at ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ will see the stickers on our bananas and remember that Chiquita commits to recycling efforts for a more sustainable planet.”
According to a press release, Chiquita branded waste bins will be placed in strategic locations within runDisney race finish line areas throughout the race season to maximize capture rate with runners and spectators. If all peels are recycled during the entire 2019 runDisney series, the new collection process could divert upwards of 14 tons of food scraps (28,000 pounds of banana peels) from landfills and use them for good by transforming them into electricity and fertilizer.
“We’re always looking for ways to strengthen our commitment to the environment, and the banana peel collection and recycling process is the newest element of our environmental strategy for runDisney,” said Angie Renner, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Environmental Integration Director. “We’re excited to work with Chiquita to implement a recycling program where we can work together with our guests to reduce food waste from landfills.”
This exciting season of races, environmentalism, and bananas will officially kick off January 10-13 during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend—one of the most popular race weekends in the nation and one of the largest sporting events in Central Florida, according to a press release. Additional runDisney races where Chiquita will hand out bananas to runners and spectators include:
- Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend - Feb. 21 - Feb. 24
- Star Wars™ Rival Run Weekend - Apr. 4 - Apr. 7
- Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend - Oct. 31 - Nov. 3
For more information about Chiquita, visit www.chiquita.com. To stay up-to-date on the latest sprinklings of produce magic, keep following AndNowUKnow.
