Eco-friendly football !
Soccer fans around the world were ironing out their jerseys and fishing out the face paint in preparation for the long awaited World Cup. These days, the grass isn't the only thing going green on the soccer field. Green innovations are sprouting up across the globe, from clean energy soccer balls to county wide greening competitions. There are two large 'green' projects that have been focused on for the event. These projects, along with others, were funded by the Global Environment Fund, who donated US$ 1 million. The first was to green all the lighting in and around the stadiums with solar panels. Twelve billboards, along with 60 traffic lights and 78 streetlights switched to solar power.
The second is the Green Passport, an initiative to encourage visitors to make 'green' choices while in the country. The Green Passport is a 32 page booklet distributed to 100, 000 World Cup spectators. Work it out - that's 3200,000 pages of paper being distributed to spectators who are there to watch a game.
The host of this year's tournament, South Africa, has kicked off their own greening efforts, planting thousands of trees across the nation to counteract the estimated increase in carbon emissions due to the rise in domestic and international flights. Players and fans alike showcase the latest and greatest in suitable fashion this year, sporting eco-friendly shirts made from 100% recycled materials. Teams from Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands toted Nike Jerseys made from plastic bottles found in landfills.
Finally, we should not forget our responsibility as global citizens. Let us all work to achieve a greener world for everyone!
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