Ecostyle Project from LCR Honda MotoGP team

Lucio Cecchinello’s Team have set themselves a difficult goal for the 2010 season, but for sure one with a high ethical value.

During the entire 2009 season, LCR Honda Team has measured their GHG emissions (Green House Gas) in order to evaluate first the footprint and then the applicable reductions. The Team has chosen MEC srl from Torino as a partner for this kind of measuring, and some hardware has been installed in the structures inside the paddock to collect all the energy consumption data. Then the calculation has been extended to all Team activities, from flights to traveling, from race tyres to the catering in the hospitality.

It is for this reason that the LCR Team has been invited as guest to Energethica fair in Genova, Italy, last march, where they had the chance to give a new positive message: LCR Honda aims to show its eco-friendly work ethic, even if the core business is motor sport.

After the measurements, with the help of a team of environmental consultants, the LCR Honda Team has identified some improvements for the certified job procedures that will allow them to reduce the Team carbon footprint. Such improvements will be achieved with very high tech partners.

Here are some examples:

• the use of a new fleet of trucks, with an innovative hybrid fuel system mixing the LPG with Diesel, reducing the emission of these vehicles by 20% or more. The company that will provide this injection system named D-GID is Ecomotive Solutions. http://www.ecomotive-solutions.com/
• the adoption of low-energy lighting systems also for the structures in the racetracks.
• the use of recycled paper for common printings or FSC paper for high quality printings.
• the shipment, delivery and storage of any document in digital format to reduce printed material.
• the use of cotton team wear where possible.
• waste sorting inside the hospitality.
• the use of cutlery and dishes made of biodegradable materials such as MaterBi. These materials are provided by ECOZEMA. www.ecozema.com
• the use of eco-friendly giveaways
• the use of biodegradable shoppers made by Mater-Bi certified according UNI En 13432 and provided by Sisifo. www.sisifo.eu
• the use of eco friendly detergents for everyday operations.
• the purchasing of local food products in order to reduce the transport impact.
• the monitoring of all our operations in order to be able to improve every day, made by MEC srl, specialized in environmental consultancy. www.mecsrl.net

Even if these actions are very important, they will not entirely offset the teams emissions, but they will reduce the carbon footprint.
The following step is to offset totally the remaining emissions, through forest adoption and reforestation.

To reach this target LCR Honda Team has decided to support FIRST FLORA which is an organization based in the United Kingdom. It has been involved for several years in protecting a particular region of the Rain Forest in Brasil, called Atlantic Forest, which has a unique eco system for both plants and animals. First Flora aims to protect from destruction a part named Janaina Reserve, and it’s possible to see details on their website www.firstflora.eu where it is also possible for every single citizen to adopt a single square meter of forest . The specific coordinates of the area are: 14°16'36" S 39°07'41"W.

Edgar Mader, CEO of Energethica circuit, while inviting the Team to his Genova event, stated: ”The message coming out from this Team is very strong because of the contrast : a MotoGP Team becoming respectful of the environment. But for this reason it is very powerful : if they can do it, if they can race at zero emissions, there are no more excuses for anybody else”.

The LCR Honda Team will finance the important protection program using a part of the seasons budget, provided by the partners of the Team.
All these activities, reductions, respect and offsetting, will take part within the Team under the title ECOSTYLE project, which aims to give clear guidelines for doing the same job as before but in a better way, leaving a lighter footprint day by day or better, lap after lap !!

For more information you can visit the LCR Honda Team website www.lcr.mc/ecostyle.