OPINION: Green Flag Isn't The Only Green in NASCAR

Story by: Megan Leben


Millions of sports fans across the world are influenced by Super Bowl ads, decals on race cars and athlete endorsements. Teams and individual athletes have phenomenal opportunity to use their platforms to influence and educate fans about important issues. One of the most important causes that many sports leagues have undertaken in recent years is to raise awareness about sustainability and environmental issues. NASCAR as an organization has certainly taken this responsibility seriously and is making one of the best environmental efforts in all of sports. Even non-racing fans know that the drop of the green flag symbols the start of the race. Green has another meaning in the sport when it comes to NASCAR Green. NASCAR is fulfilling their commitment to be sustainable and improve their environmental impact. NASCAR Green has three main areas of focus - cleaner air, cleaner energy and cleaner grounds. 

NASCAR Green's cleaner air initiative includes using an ethanol blend for gas. Ethanol is a "completely renewable fuel made from various plant materials collectively known as 'biomass,'" according to the U.S Department of Energy. Since it is renewable, it is better for the environment. According to thinkbioenergy.com, ethanol reduces greenhouse emissions by 59 percent. NASCAR uses a blend called E15 which is 15 percent ethanol and the rest is gasoline. This move by NASCAR to acknowledge its prior environmental impact and take steps towards becoming more environmentally friendly encourages its fans to so the same. As NASCAR fans see the sport they love caring more and more about the environment, NASCAR has a chance to educate them on steps they can take as individuals.

Another component of NASCAR''s cleaner air initiative is a reforestation effort. NASCAR Green plants 10 trees for each green flag that is dropped during a race which equates to the largest tree planting program in all of sports, according to green.nascar.com. Trees are “planted in areas damaged by natural disasters, parks, at schools and other areas surrounding a track or within the race market that are in need of trees” according to NASCAR Green. No matter the number of green flags during the race, NASCAR plants 50 trees in the area surrounding each track. In 2011, NASCAR planted nearly 1,000 all across the country. Pocono Raceway also partners with NASCAR Green and their tree planting initiative as they have planted almost 8,000 trees in Pennsylvania since the program’s inception in 2009.

Many NASCAR teams and tracks are involved in NASCAR’s cleaner energy initiative. Pocono Racewayis 100 percent powered by solar power everyday and can even power everything needed by NASCAR and other vendors during a race weekend. Sonoma Raceway has 4,000 sheep they “employ” to help keep the grass trimmed in and around the facility. According to Green.NASCAR.com, Michigan International Speedway President Roger Curtis “has made a commitment to make MIS the ‘greenest track in NASCAR’” and was named the 2015 Consumers Energy Green Generation Customer of the Year. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a 68-acre solar farm that provides energy not only to the track, but also “2,700 Central Indiana homes, offsetting 10,288 tons of carbon annually” according to green.nascar.com.
NASCAR’s cleaner grounds initiatives includes many tracks placing recycling bins alongside trash cans so that fans can recycle their bottles and cans. Goodyear also takes used tires from teams after pit stops, breaks them down and recycles the material into new tires. These visible efforts by NASCAR and its entities show fans that they are making an effort to be as green as possible and encourages fans to do the same on and off-track grounds. You can read more about the efforts of tracks and teams here.
NASCAR as an industry is making tremendous steps towards being one of the greenest sports in world. Their efforts help fans understand the significant impact that their sport can have on the world and the impact they can make by supporting, participating in and creating their own efforts to throw a (environmentally) green flag on sustainability.

Many NASCAR teams and tracks are involved in NASCAR’s cleaner energy initiative. Pocono Racewayis 100 percent powered by solar power everyday and can even power everything needed by NASCAR and other vendors during a race weekend. Sonoma Raceway has 4,000 sheep they “employ” to help keep the grass trimmed in and around the facility. According to Green.NASCAR.com, Michigan International Speedway President Roger Curtis “has made a commitment to make MIS the ‘greenest track in NASCAR’” and was named the 2015 Consumers Energy Green Generation Customer of the Year. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a 68-acre solar farm that provides energy not only to the track, but also “2,700 Central Indiana homes, offsetting 10,288 tons of carbon annually” according to green.nascar.com.

NASCAR’s cleaner grounds initiatives includes many tracks placing recycling bins alongside trash cans so that fans can recycle their bottles and cans. Goodyear also takes used tires from teams after pit stops, breaks them down and recycles the material into new tires. These visible efforts by NASCAR and its entities show fans that they are making an effort to be as green as possible and encourages fans to do the same on and off-track grounds. You can read more about the efforts of tracks and teams here.

NASCAR as an industry is making tremendous steps towards being one of the greenest sports in world. Their efforts help fans understand the significant impact that their sport can have on the world and the impact they can make by supporting, participating in and creating their own efforts to throw a (environmentally) green flag on sustainability.