Cape Town delivers on promise

of green World Cup {writer: Fanie Heyns}

Cape Town promised it would host a relatively carbon-low Soccer World Cup, and it delivered on this indeed. It was able to secure a 58% waste diversion at street level and a 65% waste diversion at the Cape Town Stadium.

The City succeeded in securing a total of 181 935 kilogrammes of waste during the Fifa World Cup as part of its Green Goal programme, according to Lorraine Gerrans, Green Goal manager of the City of Cape Town.

The City started the Green Goal programme to reduce any negative impacts of hosting the World Cup, and to leave a positive environmental legacy,
she said.

Gerrans spoke during a workshop for Western Cape-based stakeholders on recycling and the greening of major events, hosted by the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Plastic Recycling Company Pty Ltd – popularly known as PETCO – at the Pick n Pay Headquarters in Kenilworth.

Gerrans said the City is implementing the Green Goal programme through 41 projects across nine environmental target areas.

She added that the City of Cape Town and the provincial government of the Western Cape are committed to address climate change and recognised that carbon dioxide emissions are one of the key contributors to global warming.

Through the increased use of electricity, as well as higher fuel consumption for transport, mega events such as the World Cup increase carbon emissions.

The total carbon footprint of hosting the Soccer World Cup in Germany was 100 000 tonnes. But because of the vast distances that visitors had to travel, the use of coal, and the fact that five new stadiums had to be built, South Africa’s total carbon footprint as host was 850 000 tonnes. Cape Town’s share was 180 000 tonnes of CO2.

As host city, Cape Town took steps to mitigate and reduce the carbon emissions associated with this mega event.

Energy-efficient technologies were installed in the Cape Town Stadium, and seven other carbon mitigation projects were implemented through grant funding from the Royal Danish Embassy.

In addition, investment in improved public and non-motorised transport further reduced emissions.

Gerrans said, among others, that water-saving technologies were included in the Cape Town Stadium design, and rainwater was harvested from the roof – securing the retention of 93% of the water that landed on the roof.

In addition, spring water from the slopes of Table Mountain is being redirected to the tune of 580 000 kilolitres per year to irrigate the green open spaces around the stadium. Previously, the spring water flowed through the central business district of Cape Town, and out to sea.

The rainwater and spring water will now be stored in ponds and wetlands in Green Point Park and the Metropolitan golf course, to replace potable water being used as an irrigation source.

Waste avoidance and minimisation

The City of Cape Town negotiated with Fifa and the local organising committee to ensure there were no handouts at gates and that unnecessary packaging was avoided during the hosting of eight World Cup matches at the stadium in Cape Town.

“We set ourselves a 20% waste diversion target, but achieved a 58% waste diversion from Zibi split bins at street level, and a 65% (waste diversion) from the Cape Town Stadium,” said Gerrans.

There were 100 787 kilogrammes of dry waste, 55 103kg of wet waste at the Cape Town Stadium, while there were 26 045kg of secured waste from the Fan Fest in Cape Town, she told stakeholders at the PETCO workshop.

The total was 181 935kg of waste.

Landscaping and biodiversity

One of the largest initiatives by the City of Cape Town was to undertake the development of a biodiversity garden of 12.5 hectares in Green Point Park from November 2010.

Part of the programme is to develop a new hub in environmental education in the park, with the purpose of taking the message of environmental education to one million people in the city hub.

One of the aims of the Green Goal programme post-World Cup would be to find R35 million to build the environmental educational centre.

A total of 4 400 new trees were planted as part of a city beautification process, said Gerran.

A warning about the future hosting of sporting events

Guy Lundy, chief executive officer of Accelerate Cape Town, said there is a realistic chance that Cape Town or Durban could host the Olympics in 2020 simply because of an incredible positive rebranding exercise of South Africa as a successful sporting host par excellence.

Because of the successful hosting of the Soccer World Cup, Johannesburg or Cape Town could attract global attention from different sporting codes as possible future hosts.

In this regard, Sheryl Ozinsky, a tourism consultant and a well-known leader in the Western Cape tourism industry, said South African sporting leaders will have to dramatically improve negotiation skills with major international sport organisations.

She said that prior to the event, former president Thabo Mbeki promised that the Fifa World Cup would ensure powerful momentum for the African Renaissance.

Furthermore, the United Nations said the tournament would present a platform for the development of Africa.

But the feeling of unity did not last long, and pressing issues such as poverty and joblessness (more than 25% of South Africans are without jobs) were in the limelight again shortly after the completion of the tournament. And the gap between rich and poor in South Africa is becoming larger and larger.

“South Africa’s host cities did not have the negotiators that could handle Fifa.

“Germany and Brazil performed much better than South Africa in this regard,” said Ozinsky.

The carbon footprint of South Africa was eight times greater than that of Germany.

In spite of this, Germany was able to negotiate 400 000 euros from Fifa to neutralise the country’s carbon footprint.

In South Africa, the government did not request this from Fifa, despite the fact that people acquainted with sustainable development made the government aware of this need. (Source: Die Burger, 24 August 2010)

In preparation for the Olympic Games in 2012, London founded an organisation that will focus on ensuring all benefits that were promised to the public prior to the event will be delivered to them as planned.

London has invested R80 billion in establishing several projects in the buildup to the Olympic Games. That includes the building of several new schools, parks and creating 10 000 new job opportunities.

“Sydney, for example, used its Olympics to convince five international companies to move its headquarters to this city,” Ozinsky told Die Burger. (Source: 24 August 2010)