My Race to Save the Planet by Leilani Münter
October 7, 2008
The latest issue of ESPN the Magazine describes me as “an oxymoron: a tree hugging race car driver.” I am an avid environmentalist — I have a degree in biology, I am a former volunteer of a wildlife rehabilitation center and a long time vegetarian. I recently became politically active in environmental legislation; this year I’ve made two trips to Capitol Hill to speak to members of Congress on behalf of the Climate Security Act. The catch? I am also a race car driver. I know, I know… driving 200 mph race cars is by all means a waste of fuel, tires, and carbon fiber. But racing is not just my job - it is my passion and it will always be my first love.
Like it or not, auto racing is the number one spectator sport in America; more people tune in to watch auto races than basketball, baseball and hockey combined. It is the second most popular sport on television, with ratings second only to the NFL. 18 of the top 20 attended sporting events held in the United States are auto races, and while 17 belong to NASCAR, the Indy 500 is the largest attended sporting event in the world with over 400,000 fans gathering annually on the last Sunday in May. With over 75 million of the most brand loyal fans in the world, more Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR than any other sport in the world. What I’m trying to say by all this is, this sport is huge, and though I know this will not make me popular… global warming or not, the sport is not going to go away. I know it is not the most eco friendly sport in the world, and I am on a mission to change that. There are, wrap your mind around this… 100 million race fans in the United States.
So this little tree-hugging race car driver got to thinking, what if I were to start a dialogue with these fans? I started to talk about eco issues on my website several years ago, and I was told by many people in the racing world that I was making a big mistake. They said that as a driver I needed to shut up, drive the car and plug my sponsors. Marketing people warned me that by talking about political and environmental issues I would isolate myself from possible sponsors who would shy away from my “weird, greenie, vegetarian hippie chick image.” (Excuse me; what did you just call me?) Needless to say, I didn’t listen. I decided to talk about what I believed in even if it landed me on the sidelines at the track. I had finally made it to a level in my sport where my races were on TV and I had an audience. I would be a fool to waste that opportunity. So if a sponsor didn’t want to work with me because I promote recycling and caring for the environment, then… thanks, but no thanks, I don’t want you on my race car anyway.
The response was mixed. In between the lovely emails telling me that I was brainwashed by Al Gore (thanks Heartland Institute!), I started to get calls from people who believed in what I was saying. Last year the recycled paper company SMART Papers sponsored my Indy Pro Series car. They told me they had looked at opportunities with various NASCAR and IndyCar drivers and chose me specifically because of my environmental efforts. Likewise, my career as a driver has allowed me to sit with Senators on Capitol Hill to discuss alternative fuels and clean energy. If I wasn’t a race car driver, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article because it is the irony of being a eco-friendly race car driver which gave me the opportunity to write for Huffington Post. So you see, these two seemingly contradictory worlds of mine are endlessly intertwined.
I know some of you are rolling your eyes, calling me a hypocrite, and saying that at the end of the day my race car is still a tire-wasting, fuel-burning polluter. I would not argue with you. So how can I make up for my racing sins? The first thing I do is adopt an acre of rainforest for every race I enter. I know that carbon offsetting is not a solution or a free pass to pollute, but I had to do something about my unavoidable emissions. I also host an eco site where I talk about all the steps I am taking to reduce my carbon footprint. But I know that the place where I can make a real difference is where you would least expect: at the racetrack.
I am in the process of forming what I call my Eco Dream Team. I am going to use my race car as a vehicle (pun intended) to change my sport. Imagine a race car not covered with logos asking fans to buy something but instead calling to action millions of fans to make a difference. Imagine… a black race car, with nothing on it but a CFL lightbulb. Or a canvas grocery bag. Or an aluminum can. Imagine 75 million NASCAR fans recycling their cans. Imagine 40 million IndyCar fans changing their light bulbs to CFLs. Small actions, when multiplied by millions, can make a big difference. Imagine this movement going beyond personal actions. Imagine every race team offsetting their carbon footprint. Imagine every race track with a recycling program. Imagine every racing series using clean renewable alternative fuels. This is my mission. You may think I’m crazy, and maybe I am, but don’t forget what Apple Computers once said. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Photo Credit
Craig Davidson
DRIVEN MILKA DUNO KEEPS CHANGING GEARS
March 8, 2008
March 6, 2008 — You got to love a chick that drives a car at 220 mph. And Milka Duno does that and more. The foxy race-car driver is the first woman in history to win a major international sports-car race in North America by capturing the overall win at the Grand Prix of Miami in 2004.
And she has the highest finish for a female driver in the 46-year history of the 24 Hours of Dayton race. Her Indy 500 average is a whopping 220 mph. But cars are not he only toy this Venezuelan export loves.
She almost hesitantly admits to owning “something like 200″ sunglasses, “many, many, many, many” belts and “a lot” of jeans.
“But why is that important?” asks a buff Duno.
“I have many other accomplishments. Fashion is just part of my Latin culture. All Latin women like to look their best. That’s only normal for us. There are a lot of other more important things about me than fashion.”
This accessory aficionada is a naval engineer by trade who earned four master’s degrees (organizational development, naval architecture, aquaculture and maritime business) by the age of 25 before her life unexpectedly took a sharp turn.
“I went with some friends to race, you know, just for fun,” she explains. “I was the only girl in the group.” And after just a few more tries, she says, “I was winning.”
This year, she is ventureing beyond the race-car circuit.
She plays driver Kellie Gearbox in the upcoming “Speed Racer” flick. And her bilingual kids book, “Go, Milka, Go!” hits stores this month.
“My book is meant to inspire kids to study and earn an education,” Duno says.
LEILANI MÜNTER HEADED FOR CAPITOL HILL
March 4, 2008
MÜNTER HEADED FOR CAPITOL HILL:
SPEAKING TO CONGRESS ON BEHALF OF CLIMATE SECURITY ACT
(February 29, 2008) WASHINGTON, DC - On Monday March 3 Leilani Münter will be headed for Washington DC to speak with members of Congress about the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Leilani will be working with the National Wildlife Federation and training with members of their educational staff on the latest in the legislative fight against global warming.
“I am really excited about my trip to Washington,” said Münter, “My background is in science and I feel strongly about the need for us to make changes to the way we are living on this planet. Small personal changes are important as well, but to make a big impact we need the laws to change. We need big businesses to change their ways. I would like to do whatever I can to make those types of changes happen. The time is now.”
About the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act
America’s Climate Security Act (S.2191), introduced by Senator Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Warner (R-VA), recognizes that climate change is damaging America’s natural resources and will cause substantial additional damage in the future. If passed, the legislation will reduce global warming pollution through a cap-and-trade system. The bill includes a low carbon fuels standard, resources for renewable energy and development of energy efficient technologies, creation of new “Green Collar” jobs, and funding to help wildlife adapt to changes in habitat caused by global warming. The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act requires large emitters such as power plants and oil refineries to collectively cut their greenhouse gas emissions every year, starting in 2012, at a pace scientists say is needed to avoid catastrophic climate changes. Global warming is one of the biggest challenges we will face in the next century and the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act is an important new approach to combating global warming that works for our economy and our environment.
About National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States’ largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over 4 million members and supporters in 48 state-affiliated organizations. NWF has over 4 million members and a record of achievement that spans seven decades. Their message is simple: we have a moral responsibility to protect wildlife for our children’s future. We do this by aggressively confronting global warming, protecting and restoring wildlife and habitats, and connecting people and nature. NWF seeks balanced, common-sense solutions to environmental problems that work for wildlife and people
About Leilani Münter
Leilani Münter is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the developmental league of IndyCar. She has been racing stock cars since in 2001 and had been working her way up the NASCAR ladder when she made the switch to open wheel cars in 2007. Sports Illustrated named her in the top 10 female race car drivers in the world and her racing accomplishments have landed her in the pages of Italian Vogue, ESPN, Men’s Journal, and Esquire Magazine. Leilani graduated from the University of California San Diego with a Bachelors degree in Biology specialzing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution and is well known for being active in environmental and conservation causes. She hosts an Earth Watch section and blog on her website leilanimunter.com.
Sarah Fisher Plans Own Indycar Team
February 29, 2008
Feb 28, 2008
Indianapolis, IN – Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) announced today the formation of an IndyCar Series team that will compete in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 along with select events on the 2008 IndyCar Series schedule with a full-time debut planned for 2009. Sarah Fisher will wheel the No. 67 Honda powered Dallara. Fisher made the announcement at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the IndyCar Series spring training sessions, alongside fellow female pioneers, Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James.
After reviewing a handful of options for the 2008 racing season, starting my own team was the best opportunity for the partners we had moving forward and really is the next step for me and my career, says Fisher, President of SFR. This is something we strategically prepared to take on by consulting many different people in the motorsport realm—we didn‘t wake up one day and decide we were going to start a race team. Everyone we spoke with was very positive and felt if we could get it put together, it would be an amazing feat. It‘s hasn‘t been an overnight accomplishment, but it was certainly the next step for me and Andy [O‘Gara], my husband, as a couple. For my age and what we want to do in the future, this was our next step. The 27-year-old Fisher, who was awarded the 2001, 2002 and 2003 IndyCar Series ‘Most Popular Driver’ award and the 2005 NASCAR West Regional Series ‘Most Popular Driver’ award, continues on in the newly unified IndyCar Series with 67 IndyCar Series races under her belt. During her IndyCar Series career thus far, Fisher became the youngest women to race in the Indianapolis 500, became the first woman to capture the pole position and is the fastest female qualifier for the Indianapolis 500, in the 91 year history of the event.
As a driver, you don‘t have as many responsibilities as a team owner, continued Fisher. With more responsibility comes added pressure and as Billie Jean King once said, ‘pressure is a privilege’. It‘s interesting to take on a different project and be able to have our own direction and responsibility. We have surrounded ourselves with the right people that believe in us and this vision. It‘s fulfilling to guide the people you believe in. Being the driver for the team is something that is only appropriate as that is what started all of this. I‘ve always been a woman driver but being a female owner of a business is a big step. The only difference I can really think of is that in my company, the toilet seat will be left down. Guthrie broke the gender barrier at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1976, St. James followed in 1996 and Fisher took the torch in 2000.
In 2008 Fisher continues Guthrie‘s pioneering vision by taking a team ownership role in addition to her driving duties. For Janet, being the first female owner/driver at the Indy 500 only gives me more motivation and confidence, says Fisher, who lists Guthrie as one of her heroes. Back in 1976 when she owned her team, she wasn‘t even allowed to use the restroom in the paddock. To follow in her shoes is really inspiring and if she could do it back then, we should be able to do it in 2008. Some of Fisher‘s biggest fans made the trip to Miami to help break the news, Guthrie and St. James.It is the greatest good news that Sarah has been able to form her own team, said Guthrie, who first met Fisher in May of 2002 at the IMS. She is an extremely talented driver, and this new opportunity is just the break that she has needed. Having run my own team at the Indianapolis 500 in 1978, when I scored my best finish there, I know what a huge and difficult challenge it is, and I‘m sure that she will be up to it. Sarah has the talent and the ferocious desire that is necessary for success, and this is her best opportunity yet. “I met Sarah when she attended our driver development program in 1996 and it was evident that she was a future star, said St. James, who last competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 2000. She was intense, committed, and determined to win then and those qualities have only deepened with her maturity. Racing requires many elements to be successful, and having a team of people around you who are completely committed to your success is one of the most important. Even though the competition in the IndyCar Series is fierce I think with Sarah’s experience and now her own team she will have the ability to shine like never before.”
Recent Comments