Back to the future

A few posts ago, I threw out the idea of track management taking this opportunity to update their infrastructure and plan for the next generation.

I don't know what the energy costs associated with a track are but I would imagine that they are not inconsequential. Targeted investments in renewable energy are never wasted. Any investment in self-sustainability is an investment worth making. Debt used toward capital improvements is good debt; and yes, there is a difference.

Solar panels, wind turbines and green roofs would contribute immensely to energy savings. Collect roof water. The first two weeks of Saratoga alone would have solved the water issues of the western states.

Why not use the the footprint of the track to house small farms. If one can farm in Brooklyn, one can farm anywhere.

Use the surplus harvest from the farms to maybe start a food coop. Have a farmers market on the weekends. Give the locals a reason to come out to the track, other than the early daily double. What better way to spend the morning than browsing a market and watching the workouts.

Make the track part of the community and a contributor to the overall well being of its neighbors. People are looking for ways to get back in touch with nature, whatever the means, and this island of yesterday, surrounded by the noise and chaos of now, is the ideal venue.

If racing wants to be stuck in the past, at least let them look to the future in order to do it right.