“Never underestimate a vegan-hippie-chick with a racecar,” is Leilani Münter’s personal mantra.

Münter is making waves as a world-renowned racecar driver and an environmental activist. Known for her role in the notable documentary “Racing Extinction,” Münter will speak at the University of Utah on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 7-8 p.m. in the new S.J. Quinney College of Law building as the first talk in the Trailblazers of Clean Energy lecture series. Tickets are $5 for non-students and free for U students with registration code USUSTAIN.

This “carbon-free girl” is determined to raise awareness of the cost of global warming by starting with the auto racing industry. One of the leading female racecar drivers in the United States, Münter was the first carbon-neutral racer on the track. During her lecture, listeners will learn how she connects food justice, clean energy and ocean preservation to her mission, while speeding around the track.

From the voices of a racecar driver, an environmental justice champion and an organic architect, the Trailblazers of Clean Energy lecture series features the stories of energy activists as they share how they embraced their roles as non-traditional environmentalists.

Why should you come and listen?
Human activities, industrial pollution and non-renewable energy have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as indicated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Trailblazers of Clean Energy lecture series ignites a unique conversation and forwards efforts to stop energy waste, create clean energy and build a smart energy future.

Other speakers:

Oct. 21

Vien Truong is an eco-advocate generating systemic change in economically underprivileged communities. As the national director of Green for All, Truong has been recognized nationally and regionally in the West for her efforts on getting marginalized voices heard on matters of climate justice and environmental health and safety. Learn how an inclusive framework could help benefit Utah’s communities by providing the resources for green jobs and healthy ecological resilience.

Nov. 5

Eric Corey Freed’s goal for architecture of the future is to turn to sustainable building materials, to address operational inefficiencies, and to make architecture more beautiful and more Earth friendly. He’s a funny guy and a pioneer of the green architecture movement. Freed is the principal founder of organicARCHITECT, an eco-architecture firm out of San Francisco. He’s written numerous books on greening your home (or your school) and serves as the vice president of global outreach for Living Future.