Recognizing this, Southern California motorsports goes green this year with the debut of the Green Power Prix-View and an expanded Lifestyle and Alternative Energy Expo. The latter is a three-part, weekend-long display of alternative-energy vehicles and on-circuit activities featuring vehicles ranging from hydrogen-powered cars to robotic vehicles.

The event scheduled April 18-20 is anchored by a static display covering at least 30,000 square feet of Convention Center space within the Lifestyle Expo. The exhibit goes beyond car culture to highlight renewable energy sources, water and energy conservation, green building, and healthy lifestyles. Solar panels on the roof will generate 725 kilowatts of power each day, more than 25 percent of the building’s daily energy requirements.

The Grand Prix is, in effect, modeling behavior. Compared globally, the environmental impact of the races themselves is small, even with 850-horsepower engines that get five miles per gallon. Races are relatively short, after all, and there are fewer cars on the race track than come to see them race. To make sure the race maintains a small footprint, in conjunction with Safety-Kleen, the Grand Prix recycles oil and petroleum waste from the race cars. In addition, Toyota will offset the Grand Prix’s carbon footprint by joining with the National Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees. To help cut down the comparably heavier impact caused by spectators just driving to the event, Metrolink and the Metro Blue Line both provide service right to the gates of the Grand Prix.

“We’ve been here in Long Beach for 34 years, so we’ve got to be at the show,” says Long Beach-based Patrick Redgate, Ameco Solar Inc. president and CEO. One of the oldest solar companies in California, Ameco was the first company to commit to the Green Power Prix-View. “I don’t think NASCAR is specifically our market. If you came out with a car that got really good gas mileage and was easy on the planet and went fast, these guys would buy it. In our business, most of our customers are people who have big carbon footprints. That doesn’t mean they’re doing it to reduce their footprint. They’re doing it because it makes sense financially and, at the same time, they can feel good about what they’re doing.”

Those who come to the races for whatever reason will find a full schedule that is also fuel-efficient. Sunday’s activities include an on-track display of electric and alternative-fuel vehicles, including Toyota’s entire lineup. That day also features a ride-and-drive, where people in the media can drive these alternative vehicles in one of the parking lots.

The ride-and-drive is part of Toyota’s Mobile Hybrid Experience. “Our research shows that most people buy hybrids from word of mouth and buzz, so we’re hoping to promote that by giving people a chance to experience the technology,” says Toyota Motors Sales USA spokesperson Cindy Knight. A big part of this is the Highway to the Future, a traveling interactive micro-tour. Video screens will offer information about available hybrids, types of fuels, and what Toyota is doing to lower its carbon footprint worldwide.

Among the vehicles on display will be Toyota’s A-BAT hybrid pickup concept. First displayed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, 27 inches shorter than an extended-cab Tacoma and nine inches shorter than the regular cab model, the concept marks Toyota’s return to a more compact pickup truck design. It will be teamed with Toyota’s Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) that trekked from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia, along the Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) highway to test reliability and durability, cold-weather operation, and extended range capability of Toyota’s hybrid fuel-cell system. The trio will be completed by the Prius Greensport, which claimed the first Bonneville hybrid production car speed record at 130.794 miles per hour a few years back with Aaron Robinson behind the wheel.

Yet most eyes will be on another Toyota Prius—this year’s pace car, sponsored by the Port of Long Beach and wrapped in a Green Port logo. Released in Japan during 1997 and the U.S. in 2000, the gas-electric hybrid celebrated its 10th anniversary last year with nearly 750,000 units on roads throughout the world and the pace of sales continuing to rise. The vehicle is due for a redesign in 2009 and may spin off into a separate line of fuel-efficient vehicles under the Prius brand.

Though the main event’s race cars have long run on cleaner-burning methanol, this is the first year that event organizers have made such an extensive commitment to presenting a greener alternative. The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, and SAE International to become the first motorsports group to meet the criteria for green racing being developed by these three groups. The 2008 race features exotic prototypes and production-based sports cars competing in four categories, and all cars in the series compete on alternative fuels. For instance, Corvette Racing will be powered by cellulosic E85 ethanol (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), a high-octane, renewable alternative fuel made from waste wood and switchgrass.

While it may strike some as ironic that auto racing is taking a lead in environmental concerns, the fact is that the industry itself has been making moves in this direction all along. Goodyear already cuts up used racing tires and recycles them into playground surfaces. The Indy Racing League’s IndyCar series began racing on 100-percent ethanol last year. This year’s Indianapolis 500 will be led by a prototype Corvette pace car running on E85 ethanol. It will be driven by two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, who has a financial stake in the ethanol business in Brazil. General Motors has been lobbying NASCAR for the last two years to switch from gasoline to a biofuel.

It was inevitable that the biggest event in Long Beach would go green this year. “The timing seemed to be right,” says Mike Clark, director of marketing for the Grand Prix. “It’s not coincidental that major car manufacturers are headed this way, what with the price of oil and environmental issues.” The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is giving the people what they want, and what the people want is green.