VZCZCXRO8721
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0376/01 2861604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131604Z OCT 09
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3983
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 5059
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 9594

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MONTERREY 000376 
 
SIPDIS 
 
S/P FOR DIRECTOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV SCUL OIIP OEXC MX
SUBJECT: CONSULATE GENERAL MONTERREY ORGANIZES THE FIRST EVER 
US-MEXICO GREEN RACE 
 
MONTERREY 00000376  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Summary.  Combining traditional community organizing with modern 
communications and media technology, volunteers from Monterrey's 
Consulate General and Mexican NGO Pronatura Noreste organized 
Mexico's first-ever green race on July 5, 2009.  All proceeds 
from the 1500 person strong "US-Mexico 10K" went to support 
Pronatura's environmental efforts in northern Mexico.  Building 
on the momentum of this race, in August the Consulate General 
and Pronatura had volunteers and participants to plant 6,000 
trees in the mountains outside of Monterrey.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Fitness and the Great Outdoors in Monterrey 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶1. The city of Monterrey, Mexico's economic powerhouse, is home 
to Mexico's most proactive fitness culture.  Relatively high 
disposable incomes, the abundance of recreational activities 
such as rock-climbing and mountain biking, and an appreciation 
for the health benefits of physical exercise yield a community 
with multiple athletic  opportunities every weekend.  Running is 
especially popular, and the state's running organizational body 
publishes an annual race schedule in the local daily "El Norte." 
Every weekend Monterrey hosts at least one road race; on some 
weekends the greater metropolitan area hosts up to four.  The 
average participation is around 500-1000 runners.  Meanwhile, 
many of the same conditions that make Monterrey's culture 
athletic also create a high level of environmental awareness. 
 
 
 
The Goal 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  In order to revitalize its outreach efforts, Monterrey 
reviewed mission objectives and considered where it could work 
with the local community to advance common goals.  Speaking with 
business, government and non-profit leaders, the Consulate 
learned that the community yearned for inclusive events that 
celebrated the important US-Mexico bilateral relationship. 
Furthermore, the community has increasingly embraced "green" 
values in recent years.  The Consulate chose to capitalize on 
these observations and create an event for all stakeholders that 
would cultivate relationships and signal the USG's desire to 
work with the local community environmental challenges shared by 
both the US and Mexico: the first U.S-Mexico "Green Race." 
 
 
 
Face-to-Face Diplomacy 
 
---------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3.  Consulate volunteers promoted the race: this involved 
passing out flyers, manning booths at popular running spots and 
races, and pitching the race with any audience or group 
interested in hearing about the event.  While doing so, 
volunteers collected email addresses that allowed for the 
creation of a group mailing list.  Volunteers ultimately 
contributed more than 500 hours at more than 25 events promoting 
the event. 
 
 
 
Email Campaign 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  Using non-profit and political campaign models as a guide, 
Consulate organizers sent weekly email updates that communicated 
enthusiasm and progress in meeting the registration goal, while 
simultaneously amplifying and explaining the race's green 
objectives.  For example, the Consulate promoted the race as 
carbon-negative, noting that the long-term benefits of the trees 
would far outweigh the carbon production from race activities, 
such as transportation to and from the registration and race 
sites.  Starting with a list of 850 addressees for the first 
bulletin in May of 2009, the addressee list grew over 11 
subsequent editions to more than 4000 runners, volunteers, and 
 
MONTERREY 00000376  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
sponsors.  (Note: emails from the campaign can be viewed through 
the event's archive at 
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs062/1102 572954005/arch 
ive/1102610726868.html.  End note.) 
 
 
 
Facebook 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶5.  In April 2009, the Consulate General and Pronatura launched 
the "EUA Mex Green Race" on facebook.  Throughout the race and 
reforestation campaigns, the list of facebook members grew in 
parallel to the email distribution list, reaching a total of 495 
on October 8. Facebook was a powerful tool in distributing 
information, providing another venue with increased graphic 
capabilities - such as the ability to upload pictures - and 
broadcasting the event itself to wider networks of "friends" 
pertaining to each of the 495 members. Participants noted that 
the website was very useful in building increased buy-in and 
excitement for both the race and the reforestation. 
 
 
 
Sponsors 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  Finding sponsors for a new, unknown event is always 
challenging, even more so in the midst of an economic crisis. 
The Consulate's partnership with Pronatura was key in addressing 
this challenge: Pronatura sought out and solicited the sponsors 
themselves, handling all the funds, while the Consulate's 
outreach and media efforts created an awareness of the event and 
public support which assisted in persuading those sponsors to 
commit to the race.  Pronatura enlisted 27 sponsors, receiving 
just over $35,000 in sponsorship and registration fees; the race 
itself cost $30,000.  Gold sponsors contributing at least $5,000 
in cash or services included GMAC, Fruit of the Loom, Arca 
(Powerade/Coca-Cola), South Padre Island Tourist Board, and 
Quaker.  Silver and bronze sponsors contributing $2,500 and 
$1,000 respectively, included HEB, Starbucks, General Motors, 
Spaulding, and many more. 
 
 
 
Execution 
 
--------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  The Consulate and Pronatura created a weekly steering 
committee including stakeholders from the business community and 
the media.  That committee persuaded GMAC, the North American 
finance arm of General Motors, to buy two pine saplings on 
behalf of every registered runner.  The Mexican National 
Forestry Commission agreed to match that commitment, resulting 
in a potential 6,000 trees for 1500 runners to be planted in the 
weeks following the race.  The execution of the race itself was 
designed to showcase respect for the environment: all trophies 
and medals were hand-carved from mesquite by laborers normally 
engaged in producing charcoal, offering them the opportunity to 
practice a more sustainable, eco-friendly tradecraft which may 
be enlisted by other race committees.  Sponsor General Motors 
used the event to display its first Mexican-manufactured hybrid 
vehicle, which served as the race's pace car.  HEB, the 
Texas-based grocery multinational, gifted each race participant 
with a reusable bag for grocery purchases.  Finally, recycled 
products were used wherever possible as part of the race 
supplies, and the refuse generated by the race - such as flyers, 
registration forms, plastic bags and bottles - was itself 
recycled. 
 
 
 
Participation Strong 
 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8.  The US-Mexico 10K sold out to 1,500 participants several 
days in advance of the race, an accomplishment the daily "El 
 
MONTERREY 00000376  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Norte" described as "unprecedented" for a brand new 10K race. 
An estimated 500-1000 unregistered participants showed up on 
race day to run alongside registered runners. 
 
 
 
Media Response 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
¶9.  The success of this event was reflected in more than 20 
articles printed in the local, national, and international 
press, including Newsweek in Espanol, Milenio, and Runners World 
Mexico. In the run-up to the event, numerous TV and press 
conference interviews were broadcast across the region by the 
area's largest television networks to audiences in the millions. 
 (Note: Many of the press cuts remain hosted on the race's 
YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/10kUSAMEXGreenRac e. 
End note.) 
 
 
 
Promises Kept 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶10.  On August 30, 2009, coinciding with the first rains of the 
season, volunteers from Pronatura, GMAC, the Consulate General, 
and the community at large fulfilled the race pledge of planting 
trees in an area outside of Monterrey badly damaged by a forest 
fire in 2007.  These saplings are estimated to have a survival 
rate of over 70%.  Community feedback on the reforestation, like 
the race, has been overwhelmingly positive. 
 
 
 
¶11.  Monterrey considers the establishment of an annual U.S. 
Mexico 10K a successful example of direct grass-roots diplomacy 
which builds upon shared values with the local community, 
creates positive relationships with citizens representing many 
segments of society, and promotes a positive image of the U.S. 
Post anticipates that having established the event, it will grow 
in future years and see even greater participation, with more 
resources and venues to creatively engage our neighbors and tell 
our story.  The Consulate hopes that the narrative and lessons 
learned provided in this cable prove useful to other posts 
interested in incorporating similar techniques into their 
outreach efforts. Please direct any questions to Will Cobb at 
cobbwp@state.gov or Brian Quigley at quigleybs@state.gov. 
 
 
 
WILLIAMSON 
WILLIAMSONB