NASCAR, Arbor Day Foundation announce tree recovery initiative

Daytona Beach, Fla. — As Earth Day approaches this weekend, NASCAR along with select Official Partners and the Arbor Day Foundation today announced a new initiative that will be responsible for planting and distributing trees to communities devastated by natural disasters across the United States.

“Over the past decade we have focused on supporting environmental sustainability through the NASCAR Green platform. We look forward to continuing our year-round mission to reduce impact, offset and work to preserve the natural environment while inspiring fans to do the same,” said Lou Garate, Vice President, Partnership Marketing, NASCAR. “This new initiative with the Arbor Day Foundation, supported and enhanced by our Official Partners, is a direct reflection of the effort being made across the industry to be more sustainable.”

As part of the effort, NASCAR and the Arbor Day Foundation will host a series of community tree recovery events throughout the year. Events are scheduled to take place throughout the summer and fall in key race markets affected by natural disasters, including North Carolina, California, Texas, and Florida. NASCAR Official Partners are contributing time, people and resources throughout the initiative. Partners currently participating are: AMR, Flagship Solutions Group, Growth Energy, Hotels for Hope, K&N Engineering, Mechanix Wear, and Safety-Kleen.

“We are proud to partner with NASCAR and its Official Partners to help bring trees to communities that need them so desperately,” said Dan Lambe, President, the Arbor Day Foundation. “NASCAR Green has helped so many communities across the country since its inception and will continue to do so this year with these events.”

NASCAR has taken a holistic approach across its wide-ranging effort to help preserve the environment. Since 2008, NASCAR has been collaborating with key stakeholders that care deeply about sustainability, including its teams, tracks, partners, employees and fans. Long-term programs underway include:

• Blended bio-fuels program across NASCAR’s three national series, through partnerships with Sunoco and American Ethanol
• In-venue waste diversion – along with its track partners, Safety-Kleen and Liberty Tire Recycling, the sport recycles aluminum and PET, racing oils and fluids, corrugated cardboard, and racing tires
• Investment in reforestation and biodiversity projects measuring and offsetting annual employee commercial air travel and Official Partner commercial air travel to quarterly non-racing NASCAR events
• Elgin Sweepers are present at each NASCAR race event to support NASCAR’s Air Titan equipment to dry racetracks with their EcoInfused Technology reducing environmental impact
• Traditional and digital tree planting program, found on the NASCAR Green website, supporting areas of needed reforestation year-round and surpassing over half a million trees planted to date working to offset all NASCAR series racing globally

For more information on NASCAR’s overall environmental sustainability efforts, visit www.NASCAR.com/green and follow NASCAR Green on Twitter, @NASCARGreen.