The City of Cape Town is implementing an official 2010 FIFA World Cupâ greening programme to make the soccer world cup as environmentally responsible as possible.
The programme, called Green Goal 2010, is supported by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), Norway, Germany and the United Nationals Environment Programme (UNEP) and is being arranged by FIFA's Organising Committee in collaboration with local government.
It incorporates measurable, sustainable development principles into every aspect of the event, including energy, waste, water, transport and hospitality.
An action plan has been developed to implement the programme, with indicators, milestones, budgets, potential partners, timelines and targets for 43 projects that form part of the event.
This was developed after a series of German sponsored workshops and discussion forums with experts, stakeholders and interested parties, and is a collaborative output between the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City.
The action plan focuses on stadium and city-wide greening initiatives, biodiversity awareness raising, landscaping issues, green procurement processes and ratings for the hospitality industry, carbon offset targets, integrated waste management, the new urban park and communication.
The aim is to make 2010 the greenest world cup yet, not only to offset the impact that the event itself will have on the environment (such as greenhouse gas emissions), but to set the standard for future events of this kind.
The Green Goal 2010 action plan identifies nine areas for implementation.
The programme draws on Germany's World Cup experience in 2006 in which the organisers reduced the event's greenhouse gas emissions by increasing energy efficiency and using renewable energy wherever possible.
For more information, please visit the Green Goal website or contact Lorraine Gerrans at lorraine.gerrans@capetown.gov.