Something that you may not know about Pocono Raceway is that they are Green. They are the most environmentally conscious track in NASCAR and in sports period. The facility is powered by massive solar panels across the street from the track. But that’s only the beginning.
Their fan guide states, “In August of 2010 the 3MW Pocono Solar Project came online after just 3 months of construction. Consisting of nearly 40,000 American made photovoltaic modules covering 25 acres, the Project will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours of energy over the next 20 years. It will generate enough power to provide the electricity needs for close to 1,000 homes beyond the power needs of the Raceway.”
Pocono Raceway was the first speedway to be part of the PepsiCo Dream Machine program. With this program, Dream Machine bins and kiosks are located throughout the Grandstand and Infield to make it easier for race fans to recycle bottles instead of throwing them away. For each bottle they recycle, fans can earn points that can be redeemed for rewards at Greenopolis.com, plus PepsiCo makes a donation to the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities. How cool is that?
Pocono Raceway is also part of NASCAR’s Clean Air Tree Planting Program. According to the program, “10 trees will be planted for every green flag that drops during future NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. This will help reduce the carbon footprint of the sport and bring conservation awareness to NASCAR fans.” The tree planting has already hit six figures in 2013 when 8,000 seedlings were donated to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA.
Pocono Raceway Solar Project has been recognized as the winner of the 2011 Excellence Renewable Energy Awards, Readers Choice Award, according to their website.
Recycling, being green, solar energy, all of that team together to make Pocono Green… They are cutting edge and state of the art, and a superior model for any other track or sports facility.