>NASCAR green? It hardly seems possible especially when the average race car gets an astonishingly low 5 mpg but the racing association is doing it. Although growing green won’t affect those who enjoy their nascar fantasy picks. NASCAR is building solar farms to power the air-conditioning units and planting trees to offset carbon emissions while some racetracks are outfitting their shops to meet stringent standards for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification – usatoday.com. Sponsors are also promoting recycling programs and marketing hybrids and high-efficiency products through racing (I know, somewhat ironic). Al Gore was even consulted to make the sport greener.
Some may be skeptical of NASCAR’s efforts because it is a sport based on racing cars, however, there is a much greater environmental impact from fan participation in the sporting events than the cars going around on the track themselves(driving to and from the stadium, electricity consumption and waste generation). NASCAR fans can see that such an organization is committed to reducing their overall impact on the environment and therefore be more inclined to change their own habits. This could have the greatest and most lasting effect by motivating a large group of people to make greener choices both at the sporting events and in their daily lives.