NASCAR is not something that comes to mind when most people mention the environmentalist movement. Now don't get me wrong, the environmentalist movement may not necessarily be a bad thing but honestly, when is the last time you saw a "Save the Whales" sign posted at a NASCAR race?

When I hear about the environmentalist movement I conjure up thoughts about bygone long-haired hippies living amongst the Earth and protesting for whatever it is they protest for. I may be wrong, but one NASCAR driver has a vastly different perspective.

Brian Vickers in the #83 Red Bull Toyota has recently made a few good points about the Earth and the environment. Vickers has grown passionate about the environmentalist movement and says, "I believe that we are damaging this world in many ways and it's not just about carbon dioxide; we've got to learn to lead a sustainable life and a sustainable future as humans." Vickers makes a good point. Whether you buy into the entire global warming theory or not you've got to look at it from a larger stand point. We've got to learn how to become independent of oil and fossil fuels and learn how to preserve human life (the way we know it and love it) while helping to preserve the wetlands and forests that many of us enjoy.

Vickers goes on to say that "we need to think about intelligent solutions." Intelligent solutions don't involve overnight change that will cripple our economy and send us into the dark ages but instead a more rational approach. I'm not very political so I will leave that conversation for another day but what Brian Vickers has to say may be worth listening to.