Brazil says 2014 the year the World Cup goes green

Building: food: parks: climate change all on agenda

The road to a sustainable soccer competition begins with the 12 stadiums of the host cities.
In order to obtain financing from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for construction and renovation, the stadiums must have a green seal of approval. These seals, issued by internationally recognized certification bodies, indicate the venues are in compliance with the minimum standards of sustainable construction.

Claudio Langone, coordinator of the Ministry of Sports’ Thematic Chamber for the Environment and Sustainability in the 2014 World Cup, says that even stadiums that did not need BNDES financing decided to go green.

“All of the arenas have incorporated recycling of demolition material, reducing environmental costs and impacts,” says Langone, adding that wood and other raw materials used in the stadiums are environmentally friendly. “[All of the stadiums] are also adopting rainwater collection systems to irrigate the fields.”

In order to save energy, the architecture of the stadiums being renovated and built incorporates natural ventilation and light, thereby avoiding the use of air conditioning and electric lights in the internal areas of the venues.

Another advantage of natural ventilation is that the grass on the field will not rot quickly, as it does in a majority of Brazil’s stadiums, which are not ventilated.

The National Stadium of Brasília – formerly the Mané Garrincha Stadium – located in the Federal District, has gone beyond the minimum requirements. The whole stadium is under construction – its capacity will increase from 45,000 to 71,000 – and has had 2 km (1.2 miles) of fencing decorated by 100 graffiti artists.

In order to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification – issued by the internationally recognized non-profit Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) in the United States – Brasília’s stadium will have enough solar panels on its roof to power the entire sports complex.

Certification of the Sustainable Construction of Arenas is one of the five thematic centers of the Department for the Environment and Sustainability in the 2014 World Cup – and one of the nine departments created by the ministries of Sports, Environment, Tourism and Agricultural Development.

The other four Environment and Sustainability thematic centers are World Cup Parks; Waste and Recycling; Organic and Sustainable World Cup; and Climate Change.

With the World Cup Parks center, Brazil’s government intends to improve the infrastructure of the country’s parks and reserves located near the host cities.

Investments include the creation of trails, explanatory signage and the construction of visitor centers and overlooks, as well as inns and hotels within or near the reserves and parks.

The environment minister, Izabella Teixeira, says that parks are an essential part of making visitors feel more welcomed.

“Brazil is very large and each region is completely different from the next,” she says. “A German family, for example, who comes to Brazil to see a game in Manaus, in the northern state of Amazonas, and then watches another match in southern Rio Grande do Sul, might be surprised by the difference.”

The parks would show Brazil’s biodiversity and would be neutral areas where tourists could familiarize themselves with each city, Teixeira says.

With the Waste and Recycling center, the government aims to minimize the generation of waste, and to promote selective waste collection by encouraging the social inclusion of waste pickers. “We’re going to use this opportunity to strengthen our National Solid Waste Policy,” Teixeira says.

The Organic and Sustainable World Cup center will expand business opportunities for organic and sustainable products.

“The idea is to organize a supply chain so that these products reach the major chains of hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.,” says Ming Liu, from Organic Brasil, a program that brings together about 70 organic companies. She is also one of the private sector representatives to the Thematic Chamber for the Environment and Sustainability in the 2014 World Cup.

Officials say the goal is for restaurants and hotels in the host cities to include at least one of these products on their menus.

“Currently, the demand for organic products exceeds the production,” says Priscila Terrazzan, coordinator of the Portal Orgânico project, which offers services and information about organic foods.

The Climate Change center wants to minimize and offset the emission of greenhouse gases. Among other measures, the 12 host cities are going to invest in alternative fuels for the buses used by the delegations. Special bus corridors and new forms of rail transport are also being created.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Get your copy at a special offer price: HERE