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Germany to score Green Goal at World Cup
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-27 17:18 BERLIN, May 26 - Germany aims to host the most environmentally friendly World Cup ever thanks to a programme called "Green Goal" designed to make the soccer showpiece as climate neutral as possible. Both the Germany and Brazil squad will use trains, as well as planes, to travel around the country, solar panels will adorn stadium roofs, rain water is being harvested and beverages will be sold in resuable cups. But far from being some sort of utopia for tree-lovers, the measures are a reflection of attitudes in a country with a history of tackling green issues. "The World Cup is a great chance to put a focus on the environment around the world and will hopefully raise awareness everywhere," Klaus Toepfer, the "Green Goal" ambassador for the tournament, said in an interview with Reuters. "Our aim is to offset the total CO2 emissions caused by the World Cup in Germany also through promoting public transport during the event," said Toepfer, until last month the executive director of the United Nations Environmental Programme. "We also know big sport events create an avalanche of waste. We explored: How to reduce that? How to recycle? Awareness is rising. This is the first time for a football World Cup after we had quite successful endeavors at the Olympics since Sydney." The "Green Goal" was launched last year with the aim of offsetting the estimated 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide generated within Germany by transportation, construction of the stadiums and the presence of an expected 3.2 million spectators. All ticket holders, for instance, can ride public transport for free on match days, thousands of accredited journalists will receive free month-long rail passes for the country's train network and stadium drinks will be sold in reusable "Cups of the Cup". "It's wonderful to send the signal you can get to the match much better without your car," said Toepfer, a driving force behind the "Green Goal." "The greening of the World Cup is not a little project on the margins, but at the heart of a lot of interest around the world," said Toepfer. "It's a first but only a beginning." |
