Pocono Raceway leading in environmental issues

Cars driving at high speed in a loop may not seem very environmentally sustainable, but Brandon Igdalsky, president and chief executive of Pocono Raceway, would disagree.Mr. Igdalsky, the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the NEPA Alliance at the Kalahari Resort in Tobyhanna, told 350 attendees he hopes that composting, comprehensive recycling and other measures will reduce the waste leaving the racetrack by 75 percent or more, putting the racetrack even further on the cutting-edge large-scale sustainability in sports.“Can you imagine three bags of garbage leaving a football stadium?” he asked. “It is happening.”The waste reduction plan comes on the heels of other environmentally conscious initiatives at the Tricky Triangle in Long Pond.In 2010, the track installed a three-megawatt solar farm on a 25-acre field, generating enough power to meet the track’s needs. Instead of running lawn mowers, the facility dispatches goats to keep the grass down.His obsession with alternatives to mowing the grass and handling garbage may be understandable, considering Mr. Igdalsky began his career at the track at age 13, picking up garbage and cutting the grass.He paraphrased environmental activist Wendell Berry, who said the world is not inherited from parents, but borrowed from children.“It is our job to clean up the world so our kids and grandkids will enjoy the world we have now,” he said.In addition to pioneering environmental measures, Mr. Igdalsky’s tenure has been marked by a focus on facility upgrades and improving guest experience.He comes into the business in the shadow of his legendary grandfather, Dr. Joseph “Doc” Mattioli, who founded the track with his wife Rose in 1969. The entrepreneurial Dr. Mattioli, a dentist by trade, got involved with real estate, helping start a number of resorts and attractions before his obsession with racing.Read the full article here.