Results of the Green Goal Project
Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and First Vice President of the Organisation Committee Horst R. Schmidt stressed today that the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was also a complete success for the environment. Together they presented the results of the Green Goal environmental project, which for the first time specified measurable ecological targets in a football World Cup.
The Organisation Committee, the host cities, stadiums and some sponsors participated in the Green Goal project. The concept and implementation of the initiative was scientifically monitored by the prestigious Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut). "The Organisation Committee and the German Football Association (DFB) showed courage in taking this route. I would like to thank all those responsible," said Federal Environment Minister Gabriel. "Green Goal laid down standards for the organisation of major sporting events. I'm delighted that South Africa wishes to use this as a guide and I hope that as organiser of the World Cup FIFA will in future also set binding environmental provisions for the countries which bid to host the event."
Horst R. Schmidt, First Vice President of the Organisation Committee of the 2006 World Cup and FIFA official for the 2010 World Cup. is also very happy with the Green Goal results. "We are proud to be able to present Green Goal's successes. They make it clear that Germany seized the opportunity offered by the World Cup to present itself as a hospitable, sport-loving and environmentally aware country."
From an environmental point of view the biggest success of the World Cup was certainly the fact that for the first time the organisation of an event of this magnitude was climate-neutral. In spite of all the energy-saving measures and although a large part of the fans took public transport to the stadiums, the World Cup still caused additional carbon dioxide emissions in German of around 90,000 tonnes. However, this added burden on the climate was more than compensated for: in the coming years a total of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 will be saved through climate protection projects in India and South Africa. These projects correspond to the so-called Gold Standard - that is to say they meet the highest social and environmental standards. The measures were financed by the DFB, FIFA and other partners.
In the water, energy and waste avoidance sectors further successes can be noted. For example, to save drinking water, the largest rainwater tank in a European stadium was built in Berlin, with a volume of 1,400 cubic metres. In all, measures in the water sector enabled the saving target of 20% to be met as far as possible.
For the first time at a World Cup reusable cups were used in the public areas. This was a substantial help in keeping the stadiums clean and played an important role in waste avoidance. Waste volumes were reduced by more than 17%.
Under the Green Goal project, photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 2,800 kWp were installed in the stadiums and World Cup cities. In Germany's football world the largest PV system can be found on the stadium roof in Kaiserslautern.
In addition, 13 million kWh of certified eco-electricity from renewable energies was fed into the grid. To improve energy efficienc, the stadium in Stuttgart was completely thermally insulated. The heating requirement is consequently 20% below the requirements of the Thermal Insulation Ordinance. Unfortunately, the saving potential was not tapped as successfully in every stadium, and therefore energy saving only reached 13%, rather than the 20% target.
In contrast, the goal of increasing the share of public transport in journeys to the stadiums to 50% was greatly exceeded: only 23% of fans came to the stadiums in their own cars.
"With Green Goal we set ourselves ambitious targets," said Sigmar Gabriel, "and we achieved most of them. We haven't whitewashed the results – they also indicate where there is a need for action in the future. With the 2006 World Cup we have shown that major events can also be organised in an environmentally sound way. And many of the projects initiated by Green Goal will help ensure that environmental protection is also taken into consideration in the day-to-day running of Germany's national football league."