Five pounds has been included in the entry fee and will go towards the cost of a tree planting programme taking place in the South Hams. Based on a 1.4litre petrol engined “supermini”, the Carbon Footprint (2006) calculator has estimated that over the cumulative 28,000 miles driven in this event, 7000kg of carbon dioxide will be emitted. To offset these emissions, deciduous native trees will be planted by the members of the motor club with additional consideration to local landscape and wildlife to increase environmental value.
It is estimated that 1.5 tonnes of CO2 will be sequestered by a medium-sized deciduous tree over its lifetime. When taking into account 25 % losses, 2.67 trees per tonne of CO2 emissions will need to be planted (Trees for Cities, 2006). These calculations indicate that 19 trees would need to be planted, however, it is hoped that the club will raise enough money through entry fees to plant at least 80 trees, which will take into account the additional energy costs of organising the event.
This is the first step towards “greening” the sport and we anticipate a good reception by our members and the event competitors. In the future, we will be investigating and implementing energy reducing and recycling practices in addition to increasing the awareness of issues such as bio-fuels, fuel efficiency, research and technology in line with the UK Climate Change Programme.
