Going Green

When global issues such as climate change are being highlighted week upon week, and the inactivity of the worlds governing bodies is being dissected daily, writing about football can, in the scheme of things, seem rather fruitless.

So, its quite pleasing to be able to claim the moral high ground AND be able to write about my own football club at the same time. Last Friday, Ipswich Town Football Club announced to the world (or what seemed more like a quiet whisper to the few who had shown any interest at all) that they had become the UKs first Carbon-Neutral Football Club.

So, what does it mean?

Ipswich are sponsored by E-on who, aside from also endorsing the FA Cup, have assisted the football club in lowering its own carbon emissions. Following this, fans have been asked to make a pledge to save a certain amount of energy themselves, thus neutralising the remaining carbon emissions. The scheme, catchily known as “save your energy for the blues”, has benefitted from some quite serious promotion on the part of E-on, presumably in the hope that they attract some business by aligning themselves with all things green.

Its surprising that football has escaped any kind of censure in this new age of energy efficiency. Particularly so when football clubs are somewhat tarnished with the image of largesse and extravagance. You only have to look at the minor details which were pumped-up for the media at the opening of the new Wembley stadium to realise the energy wastage that must be prevalent- “2,618 Toilets- More than any other venue in the world!”.

A lot was made of attempts by the newer venues at the last World Cup to try and become carbon neutral during the course of the finals, but little was broadcast on the success of this. These schemes involved such actions as collecting rainwater from the stadium roof to be used for pitch watering.

Its probably fair to say that what Ipswich have achieved would not have happened without the financial backing of an energy supplier whose own motives may well have been closer aligned with the green of banknotes than the green of energy saving. Equally, there is the suspicion that many of the pledges are exactly that and nothing more so far- in other words, fans pledging to install loft insulation, but who have put it off “until the weather is better” (here writes a fan who is consumed with the guilt of having only replaced one of his lightbulbs with a low-energy bulb, when his pledge required him to change three).

Its also difficult to imagine many of the more high-profile footballers leading by example and giving up their sports cars for energy efficient family cars, such as Ipswich captain and campaign ambassador, Jason DeVos, has pledged to do.

However, in the end, whilst achieving the goal of becoming carbon neutral is admirable, it may well be that the greater achievement of this campaign has simply been to provide a platform to draw attention to issues which the majority of consumers are hoping will go away.

In terms of the wider community and awareness of green issues, the scheme can be deemed as nothing but a great success. Fans, and even non-fans, have been able to see the benefits of energy-efficient kettles, switching off unused lights, turning off devices left on standby etc (From a personal perspective, I can no longer countenance leaving my phone charger plugged in with no phone attached).
Perhaps by harnessing these issues to something that we have a passion for on a regular basis, our football club, it has helped to focus minds more clearly.

So, whos next to take up the baton?