Environment wins Cup nearing final whistle

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 07/06/2006 5:01 PM

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Germany is aiming to make the World Cup finals a success, both in terms of the game and its impact on the environment.

To meet its goal, the German government initiated the Green Goal project together with the United Nations Environment Program.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, the UNEP said the project, initiated by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the Cup and the German Ministry of the Environment, aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and electricity generation during the monthlong tournament in 12 cities.

Other aims are to help reduce the quantity of waste produced by mass public events as well as using rainwater for pitches and raising fans' environmental awareness.

LOC chairman Franz ""der Kaizer"" Beckenbauer expressed hope greenhouse gas emissions would be significantly reduced, partly by encouraging half of the estimated 3.2 million soccer fans to take public transportation.

""Environmental considerations have been making a first and very welcome appearance at the World Cup. And according to initial assessments, they appear to be well on the winning side,"" UNEP's executive director Achim Steiner said in the statement.

The statement said a preliminary assessment of the project found that some 70 percent of journeys to the games were being made on foot or by train, bus, coach or bicycle, with the remaining 30 percent by private car.

On average, 55 percent of spectators have been using public transportation to travel to and from the venues.

Some cities have exceeded expectations. Munich, for instance, estimated that 30 to 40 percent of fans would take public transportation. It turned out an astonishing 60 percent of soccer lovers opted to go to matches on the underground train.

A good number of fans had also been walking to matches particularly in Dortmund, Hanover, Kaiserslautern and Leipzig.

During some matches, up to 500 fans arrived by bicycle.

Many fans were transported to matches by between 100 and 200 buses.

Overall, the preliminary figures indicated that 70 percent of fans traveled to matches by means other than private cars.

The Green Goal also scored in the area of waste reduction at the 12 stadiums. To avoid mounting waste, fans are required to pay one euro (US$1.30) for a special cup, the only one allowed inside the venues.

Klaus Toepfer, a Green Goal ambassador and former UNEP executive director, hailed the present success but stressed that the overall victory of the project would only become clear after the final whistle.

""Various campaigns, from encouraging the use of public transportation to the ones designed to minimize waste, appear to be hitting the net. The only losers so far appear to be car parks with some only half or semi full,"" he said.

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