Race Hard, Live Green

By Administrator on July 14, 2010Add Comments

Featured in Experience Life Magazine, courtsey of ExperienceLifeMag.com

By Laine Bergeson

Leilani Münter is a passionate environmentalist — and a rising star in the motorsports world. It may seem like a paradoxical pairing. But in Münter’s mind, that’s a good thing. She believes that the faster she drives, the easier it will be to sell her environmental message to the sport’s 100 million U.S. fans — a group not widely associated with overt ecological concern.

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Video: Leilani Munter Viking Rally

By Administrator on July 1, 2010Add Comments

Last year she drove in the Viking Rally, a rally for zero emission vehicles in Norway. Leilani drove a hydrogen fuel cell Ford Focus and drank the exhaust at the finish line (the only exhaust from a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is water and heat) here is some footage:

The Carbon Free Girl Special from mediamente^ on Vimeo.

LeilaniMunter.com/CarbonFreeGirl.com

Leilani Munter carries environmental messages while bringing green business to racing

By Administrator on June 28, 2010Add Comments

Courtsey of Examiner.com

ARCA driver and environmental activist Leilani Munter, 34, expects to do at least five more ARCA races this year, pending sponsorhip. She was hoping to be back on the track at Pocono Raceway on June 5th, but sponsorship didn’t materialize. According to Munter, it is looking good that she will return to her Mark Gibson Racing Dodge later this year. She says, “I have good race cars waiting for me, just need some corporate support.”

“Tim Cindric of Penske Racing connected Leilani and Mark Gibson Racing
last year; to see if they could put something together with Munter. They were not able to get sponsorship in time to work together in 2009. After keeping in touch throughout the year, Mark Gibson says, “Leilani was able to secure sponsorship from NextEra Energy for the Daytona test in December andGREENandSAVE for the race in February.” Read More

Follow Friday: @LeilaniMunter

By Administrator on May 14, 2010Add Comments

FRN has decided to take FollowFridays to the next level! Our first FollowFriday Blog post is dedicated to @LeilaniMunter. She has been in the Gulf of Mexico helping with the Oil Spill, check her website for all her journal updates and check the video below for how you can help. You can also see her race at select Indy Racing Series and ARCA events this year. She is definitely a must follow on twitter!

Watch every Friday for our next FollowFriday!

Leilani’s Diary from the Gulf

By Administrator on May 4, 2010Add Comments

May 2, 2010

Hello everyone,

I just boarded my plane for New Orleans. I have never been and I have always wanted to visit, but not for the reasons I am going now. As if New Orleans hasn’t been through enough devastation… and now this. While riding on the airport shuttle from parking, I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting across from me. He was on his way to Fort Myers, Florida on business. When I told him I was on my way to New Orleans to assist in the clean up of the oil spill, we began to talk about how devastating this is for our ocean, our economy. An older man sitting next to me said, “Something good will come of this, you know. No more drilling.” I responded by saying yes, that was our goal at National Wildlife Federation – to get a strong, clean energy bill out of this disaster – one that doesn’t include offshore drilling.

On our short 3 minute ride from the parking lot to the airport, we talked about a lot of things. We talked about how two thirds of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from phytoplankton in the ocean. What happens when that gets killed off?

When I arrived at the New Orleans airport, there was a lot of security everywhere because President Obama was on his way in Air Force One. I met up with Miles Grant from the National Wildlife Federation and we hit the road for the Venice Marina – where the oil is arriving first. Because of the bad weather and the high winds, the tide was higher than normal which flooded the roads.

When we arrived at the marina, we met up with the Good Morning America crew (who joined us to interview NWF CEO Larry Schweiger) and headed out on a boat to the most southern tip of the delta, where the oil had already arrived. On our way out, where normally there would be a flurry of activity this time of year, we saw shrimp boat after shrimp boat anchored at the dock.

Video of the Day: LEILANI MÜNTER

By Administrator on May 2, 2010Add Comments

Today we chose Ms. Leilani to spotlight as our video of the day.. As a well know racecar driver she is also known for other things. Leilani is a huge supporter of the Environment. She left today to head down to New Orleans to help with the clean up of the recent oil spills that are damaging many natural habitats in the area. Please see our post from earlier about the clean up efforts.  We have contacted her to see if there’s anything anyone can do to help. Here at FRN we want to do everything within our power to help! You can keep up with Leilani through her website CarbonFreeGirl.com or Follow her on Twitter, @LeilaniMunter.

A MESSAGE FROM LEILANI MÜNTER

By Administrator on May 2, 20101 Comment

Race Car Driver Heads for Gulf Coast to Volunteer with Oil Spill Clean Up 
 

May 1, 2010
 
Hello everyone,
 
I am headed to New Orleans in the morning to volunteer to help clean up the oil spill. Likely I will end up working with the wildlife since I have a background in wildlife rescue from college.
 
This spill is on track to become the largest man made environmental disaster in history. The oil is gushing out at 200,000 gallons per day, nearly 10 times what they had originally estimated and it’s seems to be increasing in flow. It is a mile below the surface and they don’t know how to stop it, it could be leaking for months.
 
It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Pelicans, shrimp, alligators and dolphins in the coastal gulf are giving birth or preparing to. There are four species of endangered sea turtles in the area that will likely never recover now. Shrimp are in grave danger which is devastating not only for the shrimp, but also to all the larger species of fish like red snapper and yellowfin tuna which feed on the shrimp. And while some fish may have the ability to flee from the oil, it is a much more difficult proposition for dolphins who have to surface to breath air and will be inhaling the toxic fumes. This is truly a colossal tragedy of epic proportions.
 
I will be there with Larry Schweiger (President and CEO) and Jeremy Symons (Senior Vice President, Conservation and Education) from the National Wildlife Federation. Right now my plane ticket flies me home next Friday morning (May 7) because I have to come home to go to Dallas for a speech I have scheduled at the International Stadium Managers Conference. I don’t know what my cell service or internet connection will be like. The area I am going – Venice, Louisiana – is on the coast and about 100 miles from New Orleans. I will try to post updates to my facebook and twitter if I have a connection. I will be documenting this trip with video and photographs that I will post on Carbon Free Girl from the gulf coast if I can and if not, when I get home.
 
Wish us luck. If anyone wants to join me as a volunteer, please contact the Deep Water Horizon response team at 1-866-448-5816. We need all the help we can get.
 
Keep it green… and blue… (and free of oil)
 

LEILANI MÜNTER Featured on Discovery Channel Show

By Administrator on May 2, 2010Add Comments

(April 28, 2009) Race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Münter is featured in the new tv series “Fast Forward” on Discovery’s Planet Green Network. The series tells the stories of thirteen unique visionaries in their quest to build a greener and healthier future for our planet.

Whether it’s a community advocate finding ways to make organic foods more accessible to everyone, an entrepreneur developing biofuels for air travel, or a star athlete determined to green her sport, Fast Forward provides an intimate look into the environmental projects of these passionate individuals. Filmed on location, we learn firsthand about the adversities, triumphs and driving forces behind their exceptional work.

Episodes are only 1 minute and 30 seconds in length so they play on Planet Green throughout the day. The first two episodes of the series began airing in late April and can also be viewedon Planet Green’s website. Leilani’s episode will begin airing in the coming weeks and once it airs on the network it will also be available online.

So be inspired, and see how we can all be a catalyst for positive change. Learn more about the “Fast Forward” tv series at PlanetGreen.com.

[Source]

You can also follow Leilani on Twitter and her website.

My Race to Save the Planet by Leilani Münter

By Administrator on October 7, 20081 Comment


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

Leilani Münter Driver Profile

By Administrator on October 7, 2008Add Comments

Name: Leilani Munter
Age: 32
Type of Racing: Open wheel and stock cars
Series you participate in: Indy Pro Series and ARCA
Short Introduction: Leilani is a female racer using her voice to speak up for the environment.
Current Season: Indy Pro Series

Racing Accomplishments:

In 2007 Leilani became the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series, the developmental league of IndyCar.

Leilani was 5th quick in her very first laps at Chicagoland Speedway in a practice session for the Indy Pro Series Chicagoland100 on Sept 8, 2007.

In her first Indy Pro Series race, Leilani turned the 5th quickest lap of the race with a speed of 192.399 mph at Kentucky Speedway on Aug 11,2007.

Leilani qualified 5th for her debut in the Indy Pro Series at Kentucky Speedway on Aug 11, 2007. She had trouble on a restart and dropped back to 13th but dazzled the crowd by racing her way back up to the front of the field. She was about to pass for 4th place when she was collected in a multi-car accident. Four time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears, IndyCar driver Jaques Lazier and many others in the IndyCar community spoke very highly of Münter after her debut.

Sports Illustrated named Leilani as one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.

In her very first laps at Daytona International Raceway, Leilani was 24th quick of 59 ARCA race cars testing on Dec 16, 2006.

Leilani set the record for the highest finishing position for a female driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas.

Motor Speedway when she finished 4th in the Konica Minolta 100 on June 10, 2006.

Leilani became the first woman to qualify in the 45 year history of the Bettenhausen Classic at Illiana Speedway in Indiana on September 16, 2006.

Leilani set the record for the highest qualifying effort for a female stock car driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway when she qualified 4th for the First Convenience Bank 100 on June 12, 2004.

Racing Goals: To race and win in IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup


Personal Info: (other hobbies, career, etc..)

Leilani is not just a race car driver, she is a biologist and an activist. Leilani purchases an acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint. She is a long time vegetarian and eco activist. She has traveled to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of the Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act. She holds a bachelors degree in Biology specializing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego. While attending college she worked as a volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.

Trivia:

Leilani once worked as a photo double/stunt driver for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Leilani’s other hobbies include snowboarding and scuba diving.

Leilani’s sister Natascha is married to Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir.

Leilani is a vegetarian.

Leilani has three older sisters: Svenja, Nicolette, and Natascha.

Leilani’s mother was born in Hawaii and her father was born in Germany.

Leilani volunteered for a wildlife rehabilitation center while attending college.

Media:

Leilani’s television appearances include: ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Spike TV, Speed Channel and National Geographic.

She has hosted television shows on Spike TV and DIY Network. Leilani was also an on camera correspondent for Turner Sports

Interactive’s NASCAR.com for three years. Her weekly “Leilani Reports” were available to over 10 million users and the website had over one billion pageviews annually.

Leilani’s print media includes: USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Italian Vogue, Esquire Magazine’s “A Woman We Love”, en’s Journal, ESPN Magazine, Washington Post, and five magazine covers to date.

Leilani is also an accomplished writer. Her work has been published by Turner Sports on NASCAR.com, Corvette Quarterly Magazine, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Leilani’s public speaking engagements include the American Heart Association, ABN-Amro Bank, and the Leadership Forum.

Thanks to:

I would like to thank my family: my father Manfred, my mother Doris and my stepfather Frank, my sister Svenja, my sister Natascha & her husband Bobby, my sister Nicolette & her husband Jon, and my fiance’ Kiwi. Without these people in my life I would have never made it this far. I also have to thank the many people in racing along the way that believed in me and supported my career, you know who you are!

Website: http://leilanimunter.com

Contact: marketing@leilanimunter.com

Photo Credits:
Photo #1 AC Delco
Photo #2 Marc Roy
Photo #3 AC Delco
Photo #4 Shawn Mahoney


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