DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Roush Fenway Racing set a goal to reduce its carbon footprint even as it raced a pair of gas-guzzling cars all across the country.
The initiative started with small environmentally conscious measures that finally grew into a companywide initiative. With assistance from partner Castrol, RFR became the primary carbon neutral group in NASCAR.
Roush Fenway on Thursday declared its carbon neutrality certificate in line with this PAS 2060 standard, confirmed by independent third party ERM CVS. Roush attained the standing throughout its entire business, including surgeries and its two race teams, for 2020.
Newman’s car this week will probably be stark white with a gray Castrol badge and muted logos from partners who supported the initiative. It generated a clean appearance that represents the minimalistic path to carbon neutrality. In its sponsorship negotiations with RFR, Castrol mandated a contract clause which the team work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cancel the balance.
“We have spent months tracking, measuring, measuring our current carbon footprint and approaches to decrease our carbon footprint,” RFR president Steve Newmark said. “There’s no doubt that we’ve got unavoidable carbon emissions in how we operate our business. When you race cars and traveling around the country to do so, that will inevitably be part of our operations.
“We’re attempting to demonstrate that even companies in an industry such as ours can take action to reduce overall emissions, and our hope is that it will set an example for other teams and the racing industry.”
To become carbon neutral, RFR set a goal to recycle 90% of every race car, such as petroleum, aluminum, rubber and carbon fiber. The organization has reduced its general waste generated by more than 100 tons over the past decade, switched to LED light during its campus, decreased energy intake costs through computer-controlled HVAC systems and set up reflective roofing membranes to reduce solar heat gain.
Rainwater runoff in its North Carolina facility is captured and contained for landscape irrigation, also idling has been banned on campus to reduce emissions and air pollutants. The fleet of Roush company cars has been converted to Ford electric and hybrid vehicles.
Newman already has the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, the first Ford production developed from the ground up to generate a zero-emission vehicle.
“We as a society need to take notice to produce an impact,” Newman explained. “I’ve never been one to pride myself in driving around an electric vehicle, but the fact is that makes a big effect. I’m a V-8 [motor ] guy with the moan, and a hot rod seems good, looks good and also take the kids for ice cream inside — that is me, right?
“The reality is that comes with a cost to our surroundings, and I am aware of that more than ever. There are things that we can all do better.”
Newman noted that after a week that he picks up 15 gallons of garbage from the street before his North Carolina farm. He fills 5-gallon buckets with wrappers, bottles, beer cans and bags in fast food restaurants and convenience stores.
“It is sad that individuals can be that nasty,” Newman said. They’re more concerned about not needing trash on the ground of their vehicle. They do not care about what they’re driving; they don’t care whether it has a catalytic converters; they don’t care whether the oil was changed or what happened to the petroleum afterwards.
“it is a challenge, and the whole message here is that you don’t need to do this. You can be effective. You just have to be smarter.”