Media Contact:
Karin Burns
press@coderedd.com
(415) 322-9599

Press Release

 
 
 

ARCA Driver will continue to race Carbon Neutral through Code REDD, Raising Awareness to Help Make Forests More Valuable Alive than Dead

Leilani Münter with her Cove racecar at the Charlotte Speedway
Leilani Münter, the Carbon Free Girl, shows her support for Code REDD while standing next to her Cove racecar at the Charlotte Speedway

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24th, 2012 — Leilani Münter, professional race car driver and environmental activist, has announced her support for the Code REDD Campaign and its mission to make forests more valuable alive than dead through the Voluntary Carbon Market. Münter, a biology graduate who has long been known as ‘The Carbon Free Girl,’ will offset her unavoidable emissions from racing through Wildlife Works Carbon LLC, one of the approved REDD+ projects in the Code REDD Campaign that generates high quality Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs), or carbon credits.

“We are in a race against deforestation” Leilani affirmed, adding that “in the time it takes me to finish one race, 7,500 acres of forest will be lost to deforestation.” Since 2007, Münter has adopted an acre of rainforest for every race she runs, and with this new effort she hopes to bring greater awareness to the public about Code REDD, a radical new campaign that is using the power of the marketplace to stop deforestation, protect wildlife, and provide real sustainable development opportunities for forest communities.

“Deforestation accounts for more than 17% of annual global CO2 emissions, more than the entire global transportation sector,” said Karin Burns, Executive Director of the Code REDD Campaign. “We are thrilled to partner with Leilani who exemplifies the spirit of the Code REDD campaign and through her actions can reach an audience of millions.” Today, 18 of the top 20 highest attendance sporting events in the United States are auto races.

A video highlighting Münter’s support for the Code REDD Campaign will be aired for 4 days from Thursday July 26th – Sunday July 29th at the entrance to the Indianapolis Speedway’s NASCAR Brickyard 400 Super Weekend. Race car fans are encouraged to learn more about Leilani Münter’s commitment to Code REDD and ways they can get involved by going to: codereddms.wpengine.com/leilani

About Leilani Münter
Leilani Münter is a biology graduate who became a professional race car driver and environmental activist. She has been named the #1 Eco Athlete in the world by Discovery’s Planet Green, and is a 2012 recipient of Elle’s Genius Award. Leilani has 9 top fives and 19 top tens in her career so far, and has been named one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world by Sports Illustrated. Her motto is ‘Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a race car.’
www.carbonfreegirl.com

About the Code REDD Campaign
Code REDD is an emergency action campaign designed to motivate corporate leaders to save the threatened forests of the world, by dramatically increasing the demand for REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) emission reductions. Founded by Wildlife Works, the Code REDD Campaign is an open initiative that brings together corporate emissions reductions buyers, REDD+ project developers, indigenous forest owners, forest nation governments, NGOs, verification organizations, standards bodies, market platforms and other concerned entities to develop and finance high quality REDD+ projects.

Code REDD provides a solution to two of the most pressing issues of our time:

  1. How to stop the deforestation that is stripping the planet of its biodiversity, impoverishing forest communities and releasing massive amounts of pollution that are changing our climate forever.
  2. How to allow the marketplace to continue to provide the goods and services to our growing global population without accelerating the negative impacts on our climate.

For more information, please visit: codereddms.wpengine.com/leilani