Thaindian News

By Mayank Aggarwal
New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) The world’s most cash rich cricket tournament is going green. In the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a cricketer would be appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the environment and tips would be flashed on screen to help reduce the carbon footprint of the event.

“In January, we signed an MoU for a ‘Green IPL’. On the inauguration day of the IPL, when players will take a pledge of fair play, they will also take a pledge for the environment,” Satinder Bindra of the United Nations Environment Programme told IANS.

IPL is scheduled to take place March 12-April 25. Carbon footprint is the amount of polluting carbon dioxide emitted by a particular activity.

“We are also in talks to appoint a cricketer as a goodwill ambassador. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is very serious and has given a lot of support,” Bindra said.

He, however, refused to divulge the names of the cricketer and said: “I can’t say the name right now but can only say it would be someone whom the country admires and listens to.”

“Besides that, there will also be something like UNEP-IPL batting for the environment tips of the day aimed at spreading awareness about the environment. There will be two tips everyday and they would be in the cricketing language itself so that people can understand it easily,” Bindra added.

“The messages would be short and simple. They would be flashed on the screen and commentators would also be aware of it,” he added.

UNEP is also associated with the 2010 Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place Oct 3-14 in the national capital later this year. “We are thinking of developing a similar message for the Commonwealth Games also,” he said.

Bindra said this year the focus was on spreading awareness among millions of people who watch the IPL.

“Combined with the audience of the Commonwealth Games in October, such educational messages on the environment will have a great legacy,” he added.

“It’s a long term plan. The plan this year is to try to make a few games climate neutral. Making the entire tournament carbon neutral is perhaps a long term goal. It could take two to three years or more,” Bindra said.

He said he is going to meet IPL franchisees to work on the finer details and would also meet suppliers associated with the IPL to discuss the plans.

“UNEP has also worked with other international sporting events to make them greener. We will be using our association with the CWG in developing it as green games as an example to inspire the IPL. During the tournament, we would calculate the carbon footprint and tell the organisers the way to reduce it and compensate for it,” he said.

“That could be done by reducing the carbon emission, planting trees or investing in UN certified environmental programmes. We have also recommended that all teams appoint green managers. Some of the long term solutions could be using waste material in the construction work, recycling of water and waste management plan,” Bindra added.

“There are a lot of things associated with the IPL like hospitality and merchandising. To turn everything green would require a lot of work. We are looking at a long term partnership,” he said.