INDYCARNATION

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On Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Racing League announced that its season-opening race in Brazil has been certified carbon neutral.

All carbon emissions connected with the IZOD IndyCar Series São Paulo Indy 300 on March 14 will be compensated by more than 23,580 native Atlantic Rainforest seedlings planted at the largest sugarcane processing mill in the world.

Planting of the trees was based on a study by independent consultant the Totum Institute, which was commissioned by UNICA (Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association) with support from the Indy Racing League at the request of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Totum Institute estimated 1,137.85 tons of CO2 and equivalents emitted by the race. To complete its report, the Totum Institute considered a wide array of emission sources and then calculated the number of trees that would be necessary to neutralize the sum of those emissions over a 20-year period. Items such as the use of electrical energy from the national grid and generators, discarded residues, land transportation of organizers, work crews and the public, and the use of air travel by race teams and organizers were all included.

The assessment called for 8,128 trees to be planted on 35 acres, but the mill expanded the planted area. The mill and the São Paulo state Environmental Secretariat have pledged to monitor the area for at least five years and replant seedlings whenever necessary.

The tree planting was completed on May 18 by the world’s largest sugarcane processing mill, São Martinho, located in the town of Pradópolis in the state of São Paulo. Details of the operation, which was supervised by the São Paulo state government’s Environmental and Agriculture Secretariats, were announced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by UNICA’s Chief Representative for North America, Joel Velasco.

The successful project might lead to a much broader effort by UNICA and the Indy Racing League.

“Offsetting the São Paulo race went so well that UNICA and the Indy Racing League are now discussing expanding the formula to cover the entire 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season, with all emissions from every race offset by tree plantings either at sugarcane processing mills or state parks in São Paulo state” Velasco said.

The IZOD IndyCar Series is the only motorsports series that utilizes a renewable and environmentally-responsible fuel for its race cars. The 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol is supplied by UNICA.

“It was a huge investment and huge effort to compensate for the carbon footprint around the São Paulo event,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League’s commercial division. “I think it was a great effort from our good partners at UNICA, and we are working hard to possibly neutralize more events, which would be fantastic.”