Following a thriller NEOM Sardinia X Prix I, Rosberg X Racing made use of its one-day break in Sardinia to focus on their Driven By Purpose Campaign. The team’s commitment to leave a lasting positive impact at every race location is showcased in its continued efforts to help the Italian island following the wildfires of 2021.
Having teamed up with the Italian Red Cross in October 2021, RXR had supported 200 families affected by the disaster during the first-ever Island X Prix. On Friday, RXR followed up with a new initiative. Partnering with Life Terra and the MedSea Foundation, Rosberg X Racing and Allianz donated 30,000 Euro to plant 5,000 trees in the Oristano region that fell victim to the wildfires.
More than 10,000 hectares were devastated during last year’s environmental disaster. Due to high winds, the flames burnt across state and private land, damaging several buildings and displacing hundreds of people in the towns of Cuglieri, Scano Montiferr, and Sennariolo. In the latter village, a restoration project will be undertaken to bring back native species of both bushes and trees, adding additional biodiversity to accelerate the recovery of vegetation in the area and making this ecosystem more balanced and resilient to the negative effects of climate change. In addition to the reforestation efforts, children from local schools in the area will be able to join the Life Terra Mission program, focused on all aspects of sustainability, and help plant the trees.
While the planting season starts in November 2022, RXR made a symbolic start yesterday, putting three olive trees into the earth ahead of the second round of the NEOM Island X Prix. Once the remaining trees are planted, the plants will be geolocalised with Life Terra’s app and available in so-called tree dashboards. Tree survival and growth can then be tracked over time.
RXR’s founder and CEO, Nico Rosberg took time out of his busy schedule to join the team and offer a helping hand. He was greeted at Teulada’s Municipality Park by the Mayor of Teulada, Daniele Serra, Brigadier General Stefano Scanu, Commander of the Army of Sardinia, and representatives of Life Terra, Allianz and the MedSea Foundation.
Rosberg commented: “One of our main goals as a racing team is to do good in the areas where we compete with Extreme E. I am very proud and thankful that these initiatives are supported by our partners, such as Allianz. The wildfires in Sardinia had a terrible effect on the habitat and people living here, so we are delighted to be able to support their efforts in rebuilding the forests and bringing nature back.”
Daniele Serra, Mayor of Teulada, commented: “I think I am speaking on behalf of all the communities in Sardinia that were affected by the recent wildfires when I thank Nico Rosberg and his team for raising awareness for the destruction and for contributing to the restoration efforts. Thanks to the donation through the Driven By Purpose Campaign, we will be able to reverse some of the negative effects of climate change on Sardinia and help educate the young generation to increase the resilience of our communities.”
Meanwhile, RXR has returned to the track at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente for the Qualifying sessions of Round II of the NEOM Island X Prix, which will conclude on Sunday with the Finals starting at 13:00 CET.
For information on how to watch, please visit https://www.extreme-e.com/en/broadcast-information.