By Millicent Njeri / Press Release
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has committed to a strong vision of green growth by launching a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Under the new initiative, the IPL will green its cricket league and bring environmental awareness to millions of cricket fans around the world.
Through this long-term partnership with UNEP, the IPL joins the ranks of global events, such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, which are working with the UN Environment Programme to green their events.
The new partnership, which kicks off with the India Premier League that will be played over 45 days starting on 12 March, is a first-of-a-kind initiative undertaken by any sporting body in India. UNEP will advise the IPL in its commitment to green its sport events, spread environmental messaging to fans through its star players and green its merchandising.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP, said: "We are delighted to join with the IPL to catalyze environmental awareness through one of the world's oldest and most popular sports. Like cricket, environmental interest is growing exponentially and across the globe - so this initiative could become one of the most powerful environmental outreach campaigns in India and beyond. Together the IPL and UNEP are sending a clear and powerful signal to millions upon millions of spectators and fans: namely that if we all bat together, we can score fours and sixes for a more sustainable future."
In close cooperation with UNEP, the IPL will calculate its carbon footprint and compensate the emissions of some of its games. As the partnership develops, the IPL will compensate more and more of its games and green its operations, from waste management to energy efficiency and water.
UNEP will assist the IPL in its long-term green vision of achieving climate neutrality, supporting the IPL's efforts to reduce emissions through the introduction of renewable energy and to compensate for emissions generated by the League.
The IPL will utilize the popularity of the League and its players to promote UNEP's environmental initiatives such as the Climate Neutral Network, the Billion Tree Campaign and World Environment Day. Through the popularity of cricket, the IPL will also promote environmental awareness, highlighting the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the Clean-Up the World Campaign and other environmental initiatives in coming years.
