The 2005 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix will be a ‘green’ event, with organizers taking the unprecedented step of rendering the Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park on March 3-6 ‘greenhouse-neutral’. Following an agreement between Greenfleet Australia and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), greenhouse gas emissions associated with the event’s set-up, operations and track use will be neutralized.
Greenfleet said 747 native trees would be planted as part of its Murray Darling Rescue program in Victoria to absorb the 200 tonnes of CO2 it estimates is generated.
The tree planting will cover the fuel burnt by cars when racing; during construction, set-up and dismantling of infrastructure for the event; operations during the event, such as generators, mains-connected power usage, and support vehicles such as those for marshals and ambulances.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Mr. Tim Bamford says the Grand Prix was pleased to link with Greenfleet in neutralizing emissions.
“We applaud Greenfleet’s initiatives in protecting our environment and are delighted that our Foster’s Australian Grand Prix on March 3-6 will participate in this worthy program,” Mr. Bamford said.
Greenfleet is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in reducing the impact of transport on the environment.
“This initiative by the AGPC is an important one in educating the public about the environmental impacts of their cars,” says Greenfleet chief executive Mr Henry O’Clery. “The reality is that we as a community demand our modern-day ‘chariot racing’ that is played out on the tracks of the world through motor sport. It has always and will always be thus, and this program is a fine example of how to reduce the environmental impact of these events.”
With close to a million new cars coming onto Australia’s roads each year, greenhouse emissions from cars and trucks are rapidly increasing. Transport is Australia’s fastest growing source of greenhouse emissions, and now accounts for more than 66 million tonnes a year, having risen 20.3 per cent from 1990 levels. Every litre of petrol a car burns emits 2.3 kilos of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Individual motorists and fleets are invited to subscribe to Greenfleet’s world-first program, where for $40 a year (tax-deductible) Greenfleet plants 17 native trees on the motorist’s behalf. Over their lifetime, these trees will soak up the greenhouse emissions that the average car produces in one year (based on 4.3 tonnes of CO2).
In addition to absorbing greenhouse gases, the trees bring ecological benefits – helping to reduce salinity and soil erosion, and providing essential habitat for native wildlife.
“Our policy is to plant the trees in areas of environmental concern, to create forests in areas where they’re needed most,” Mr O’Clery says. Greenfleet’s largest tree planting project is ‘Murray Darling Rescue’, a partnership with Scouts Australia.
Since 1997, Greenfleet has planted more than 1.9 million native trees on behalf of individual motorists and fleets – to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions from their vehicles.
Greenfleet bases its carbon-offset model on a 1996 Bureau of Transport & Economics report, which showed that by planting trees a carbon sink can be created to absorb greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.
The Victorian Government is one of Greenfleet’s largest supporters, having signed a three-year agreement to offset emissions from its vehicle fleet. Other subscribers include the Queensland and ACT governments, Monash University, SAI Global, Murcott’s Driving Excellence, Telstra and Australia Post.
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