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Chelsea named greenest football club, despite players' high carbon emissions
Katharine Barney12 Jun 2009
The players generate thousands of tonnes in carbon emissions a year driving their sports cars and 4x4s.
But Chelsea Football Club was today named one of the most environmentally friendly organisations in London.
The club was honoured in Boris Johnson's "green awards" for encouraging supporters - some 42,000 at every home game - to use public transport to get to Stamford Bridge.
There was also praise for a car-sharing scheme among fans, and a web campaign urging supporters to be energy-efficient.
They were encouraged to turn down the temperature on washing machines and central heating, and not leave appliances on standby.
These measures may help offset carbon emissions generated by the club's players.
Captain John Terry has been pictured driving a black Ferrari and a Bentley; Frank Lampard has been spotted in a Ferrari and an Audi Q7; Michael Ballack has also been seen driving a Ferrari; and Michael Essien a Range Rover.
Ferraris typically emit 400g of carbon per kilometre. By comparison, a typical family Mondeo emits about 190g/km.
A Chelsea spokesman said: "We can't tell anybody what cars to drive or not drive. You can't be dictatorial but you can encourage people to make the small changes that make the big difference."
He said Terry was involved in a campaign to encourage children to plant trees and one of the younger players, Franco di Santo, used public transport to travel into London.
At the club's Cobham training ground, recycled water is used on pitches and blinds automatically open and close according to weather conditions.
The awards are part of the Green500 programme, run by the Mayor's London Development Agency. The 190 organisations taking part aim to cut carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes by 2011.
The Mayor has pledged to reduce emissions by 60 per cent from their 1990 level by 2025. Currently, about 44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted in London each year.
He said: "Small energy improvements can reap big rewards in protecting our environment and saving money."
Reader views (5)
Chelsea fans have traditionally travelled to matches by public transport due to a) the cost of local parking, b) the good tube links; and c) the fact we all drink a colossal amount, although of course c) could well be a by product of a) and b)...
- Blue Baby, London, 12/06/2009 14:46
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I don't see "thousands of Tonnes" in a few Ferrari's. Transportation as a whole only accounts for about 15% of the total CO2 emissions. On average people connect to about 10 Tonnes of CO2 per year. 15% of that is 3 Tonnes (for all trnsportation, not only cars). Double that to get from the Mondeo to the Ferrari and you get to 6 Tonnes. So where does the rabble rousing "thousands" come from? Cars are a minor CO2 issue. Keeping buildings warm and cool is far more costly in CO2.
- Deneys Schreiner, London, 12/06/2009 14:20
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"Ferraris typically emit 400g of carbon per kilometre. By comparison, a typical family Mondeo emits about 190g/km"
I can just see Terry, Beckham, Ronaldo et al driving along in a Mondeo.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 12/06/2009 13:13
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Just because they are the 'greenest' it doesn't mean they are in any way green! They are just the best of a bad money wasting, jet setting bunch!
- Jc, London, 12/06/2009 12:04
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So as long as the "little people" do their bit it gives them green points.
Just another example of why I, like many others refuse to buy into this crap.
- P Staker, London, SW8, 12/06/2009 10:44
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