Leilani Münter wins BBC’s Evergreen Athlete Award

• Leilani Münter grew up in Minnesota, in the US
• She initially developed an interest in animals when she was a small girl then to motorsports
• Her interest changed during a movie shoot in San Diego and her environmental advocacy started

This year’s recipient of the BBC’s Evergreen Athlete Award, is former racing driver Leilani Münter.

The award is part of the network’s Green Sport Awards. This news comes in advance of the main awards show, which will screen in October and invites nominations of sports organizations increasing environmental awareness.

A group of judges acknowledged Münter, 48, as one of the first athletes to utilize her platform in raising awareness of environmental issues. She did so consistently and relentlessly over many years at the expense of her racing career.

She challenged gender norms in a male-dominated sport without flinching, and she also brought the environmental conversation to petrolheads.

When Münter started doing this, it was years before the conception of electric racing.

WHO IS LEILANI MÜNTER?

Leilani Münter. Photo/VegNews

Leilani Münter grew up in Minnesota, in the US. It is here where she initially developed an interest in animals and later a fascination with the water through scuba diving. This led her to major in biology in college.

However, there was one goal that she was eager to accomplish quickly: becoming a race car driver. She did things in her usual unconventional way, becoming ‘Catherine Zeta-picture Jones’s’ and stunt double to make ends meet.

Münter got her first shot in motorsports during the shooting of a movie Traffic in San Diego. They needed someone who looked like famous actress Catherine known for her impeccable driving skills.

There was a resemblance, but she was much shorter and had to wear platform heels to pass for her. She only needed a single day of racing school to accomplish her objective.

One of her teachers encouraged her to pursue this and is glad they changed her life forever.

WHEN DID LEILANI MÜNTER START HER ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN?

The year 2001 marked the beginning of Leilani Münter’s career as a professional racer thanks to sponsorship. But it wasn’t until 2006 that she shifted her focus. Traffic the movie happened and it changed everything.

It made me her shift from being a racing car driver who privately cared about the environment. She got an opportunity to convey about the environment to an audience which wasn’t thinking about it at all.

After that, Münter’s concern for the environment extended to every facet of her work. She specifically cut ties with sponsors who engaged in producing fossil fuels, animal testing, or manufacturing meat and dairy goods.

She says being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field helped her always to remain alert. Rather than spending time and energy attempting to blend in, she would use her car to bring visibility to issues she cared about.

She refers to it as her “200 mph billboard.” While she wasn’t trying to sell anything, she encouraged people to consider important environmental questions. And this added a profound meaning to her enjoyment of racing.

WHAT HAS LEILANI MÜNTER ACHIEVED SO FAR?

In 2014, her team was the first to use solar electricity to run their pit box. She was also instrumental in making that transition. Additionally, she made a major life decision three years before becoming a vegan.

She explains that she “tried to lead by example” by telling her followers about her activities. Münter and her team distributed almost 30,000 vegan cheeseburgers at racetracks, and she adopted 1,500 acres of protected rainforest.

But she is confident that if she had accepted sponsorship from anyone, she would have progressed further in racing. Nevertheless, there was a greater purpose to her race.

Leilani Münter. Photo/LiveKindly

WHAT DOES LEILANI MÜNTER NOW DO?

She pursues environmental causes as a primary occupation. Münter claims that her relationship with the combustion engine is gone after her retirement from auto racing three years ago.

She is an aggressive lobbyist, having lobbied US Vice President Joe Biden on what matters. She is on the front lines of protests with Hollywood stars like Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo di Caprio.

She uses an electric car equipped with a camera to display emissions from other cars. It also has a projector to superimpose images of endangered animals onto buildings in a documentary titled ‘Racing Extinction’.

In her opinion, he feels one of the most under-recognized environmental concerns is the loss of biodiversity.