Objective: Communicate the Green Goal message to residents and visitors
All role players, including the broader public, visitors, service providers and industries, needed to be encouraged to participate actively in all aspects of the greening of the event. A clear outreach strategy had to be drafted to ensure that all event-greening stakeholders were aware of their roles regarding greening implementation. Also, an educational and public awareness campaign had to be developed to raise awareness and facilitate behavioural change among fans and local residents.
The World Cup provided an exceptional platform to increase awareness of Cape Town’s unique environment and the initiatives that had been put in place to make the World Cup a sustainable event.
Information on the objectives, milestones and implemented projects orientated audiences to the Green Goal programme. It also provided a context, placing the 2010 environmental programme within the existing communications framework of the City’s Integrated Development Plan as well as the City and Province’s various policies and strategies aimed at environmental protection.
Promoting permanent and positive behavioural change towards the environment was another Green Goal objective. The platform of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ was therefore used to profile international and local environmental challenges, and to promote activities to address these challenges in Cape Town.
A KAS-funded workshop on Green Goal communications in Host City Cape Town was held in March 2008. A further workshop in the same month, also funded by KAS and coordinated by the LOC, was held in Johannesburg for all the host cities.
Tools such as a Green Goal website, logo, newsletter, brochures, exhibition and DVD were used to inform fans about the greening initiatives.
The media were an important stakeholder, and regular media interaction helped spread the message of the status of the Green Goal project implementation.
The key objectives of the Host City Cape Town Green Goal 2010 communication and awareness plan were as follows:
- To raise the profile of Cape Town and the Western Cape as responsible hosts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
- To raise awareness of measures taken to host the event in an environmentally sustainable way.
- To use the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ platform to demonstrate how residents and visitors could live a more sustainable lifestyle.
- To align messages communicated by various stakeholders involved in Green Goal 2010.
- To facilitate media coverage of the Green Goal 2010 programme in Cape Town/the Western Cape.
- To build on the growing awareness of environmental issues and sustainable development globally, but particularly in African countries.
- To encourage behavioural change among football fans.
- To encourage corporate responsibility among privatesector suppliers, governments and municipalities.
- To provide a model for replication at other major sporting and cultural events.
The projects
Project actions
Green Goal workshop series 1,2 and 3
Green Goal workshop series 1 and 2 have been completed. For more details, refer to Sections 6.1 and 8.1 earlier in this document.
Lessons learnt on the Green Goal 2010 workshop series
The first Host City Cape Town Green Goal workshop series invited stakeholders to work with local government to agree on the priorities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ event-greening programme. The workshop series ensured consultation with a wide range of stakeholders before decisions were made on principles, objectives and projects. The second Green Goal workshop series was more focused and aimed to advance the implementation of specific projects. The carbon offset workshop, as an example, informed the final selection of carbon mitigation projects to be funded from the UEMP 2010 carbon interventions fund. The workshops led to buy-in from senior management of the City and the Province, and increased political support.
One of the key legacy opportunities presented by the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is the platform that the event provided to leverage international and local media attention, which, in turn, led to behavioural change in favour of the environment. This will have the long-term benefit of reducing the consumption of scarce resources, such as water, energy and biodiversity, as well as reducing the amount of waste ending up on landfill sites.
A Green Goal communications and awareness plan was compiled in line with Host City Cape Town’s 2010 FIFA World Cup™ communications strategy. The plan identified key messages, target audiences and channels of communication.
The LOC released the offi cial Green Goal logo only six months before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The offi cial mark, owned by FIFA, was subject to FIFA’s guideline for the operation of the Green Goal programme and utilisation of the Green Goal logo. Any application of the logo had to be preapproved by FIFA. Host City Cape Town developed an internal guideline for the use of the Green Goal logo with the host city logo and its creative elements.
A Host City Cape Town Green Goal website was created at www.capetown.gov.za/fifaworldcup. It was regularly updated and served as an online resource for people who wished to learn more about the event-greening programme in Host City Cape Town.
Other communication channels and resources used to promote the Green Goal programme and its key messages included the following:
- Green Goal brochure
- Green Goal expo
- Publications (including Green Goal Action Plan and Green Goal Progress Report)
- Media releases
- Regular radio slots and television interviews
- Media partnerships with three major daily newspapers
- Features in City newsletters
- Features in industry magazines
- Big screens at the stadium and FIFA Fan Fest™/fan jols
- Official speeches
- 2009 and 2010 official tourist guides
- Official event guides for the Final Draw and 2010 FIFA World Cup™
A photographer and videographer were appointed to document Green Goal activities during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, both in the lead-up to the kick-off and throughout the tournament at the FIFA Fan Fest™, fan walk and fan jols. A short video was produced after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ that captured the excitement of the event, and showcased the greening measures that had been undertaken to make the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ an environmentally sustainable event.
Maintaining a good relationship with the media and stakeholders was a priority of the Host City Green Goal programme. Positive media coverage resulted from the launch of the Green Goal Action Plan and Progress Report. Green Goal featured prominently as part of the media partnership between the City and two local media houses that covered host city activities between January and June 2009. Articles focusing on the green technologies in Cape Town Stadium, the development of the Green Point Park spring water irrigation project, integrated waste management, city beautifi cation, eco-driving training, the solar water heater carbon mitigation project and the proposed Smart Living Centre were published. During the World Cup, a communications consultant was appointed to assist with media releases in respect of the Green Goal programme and its activities. This resulted in coverage in print media, on radio, the internet and television.
The Host City Cape Town Green Goal programme was featured twice on the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s Countdown 2010 television programme as well as on the environmental programme 50/50.
The virtual launch of the Cape Town Green Map attracted signifi cant media attention, and the project manager and Green Goal team members were interviewed on radio and television. The project team used the local media to invite NGOs and communities to register their environmental projects and products on the Cape Town Green Map. Innovative new media, such as Sony Fevacasters, were used to feature various aspects relating to the preparations of the event in South Africa. In Cape Town, the new stadium and its green technologies were featured to an exclusively online audience. The FIFA Fan Fest™ made extensive use of Facebook and Twitter to communicate the upcoming events and the vibe around them.
Three Green Goal DVDs were regularly broadcast on the big screen at the FIFA Fan Fest™. A Green Goal DVD, produced by the LOC, was also screened at Cape Town Stadium before the start of each match. Green Goal brochures, copies of the Cape Town Green Map and other Green Goal marketing materials were available during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ at the various information kiosks in the city and at the Green Goal expo at the FIFA Fan Fest™. Over a period of three years, more than 70 Green Goal presentations were made to stakeholders and the media. The Host City Cape Town Green Goal programme was also presented at the G-ForSE conference in Alicante, Spain, in October 2008, and in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2010.
Lessons learnt on Green Goal brand development and activation, Green Goal marketing and communications, Green Goal ambassadors, and the Green Goal website and online resources
The 2010 World Cup provided a platform for the environmental message to be presented to a wide audience. At a national Green Goal communications workshop in 2008, the host cities agreed with the LOC that a national Green Goal 2010 visual identity (logo) would be designed and promoted ahead of and during the World Cup, and that national 2010 Green Goal ambassadors would be appointed to represent the 2010 greening programme. Both these initiatives were launched very late by the LOC, resulting in insuffi cient marketing and awareness of the Green Goal brand. The lack of FIFA involvement as well as the low-key integration of Green Goal with overall LOC World Cup communications meant that valuable communication opportunities had been lost. Nonetheless, by keeping the media informed of Host City Cape Town Green Goal projects, some media space for Green Goal was achieved.
The media’s focus on the 2010 greening programme manifested in two ways:
- Until approximately four months before the event, the media and the general public had been content just to know that there was a greening programme for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. They were not really interested in the details. However, questions did arise with regard to progress towards reaching stated goals and the legacy that the initiative would leave behind.
- From approximately four months before the event (or just after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which probably was the greenest Olympic Games to date), attention turned to South Africa as the next host of a major international sporting event. Suddenly, the general media wanted to know whether we were ready, what visitors could expect when they came to South Africa/ Cape Town, what the event cost, what the legacy of the event was, etc. The environmental media asked about the event’s carbon footprint, the environmental impact, the green status of the stadia, and the event-greening plans and programmes.
Social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, provided instant access to a large audience interested to follow the World Cup and related activities. The ability of instant video uploads onto sites such as YouTube provided further opportunities to share information with a large international audience at a very low cost. The Green Goal programme had not reached out to this new audience until just before the World Cup, when Green Goal messages started to appear on the Facebook and Twitter sites of CTT and the FIFA Fan Fest™, and theme-specific videos were uploaded onto YouTube.
Briefing for potential Green Goal funders
Host City Cape Town was fortunate to attract two partners, KAS and Sappi, as Green Goal contributors. Additional support and sponsorships were received from the following organisations:
- DANIDA via the UEMP
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
- InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany
- Öko-Institut, Germany
- UNEP
- Coca-Cola ZZ
- SAPIA
- Murray & Roberts/WBHO
- Polyoak Packaging
- PETCO
- WORLDSPORT
- Eskom
Green Goal 2010 exhibitions
The Host City Cape Town Green Goal programme was featured at a number of national exhibitions, including the Tourism Indaba in Durban and Soccerex in Johannesburg in both 2008 and 2009. Green Goal content was featured as part of the host city exhibition during the Final Draw at the CTICC in December 2009, and the Host City Cape Town Green Goal Progress Report was approved by FIFA for distribution at the Final Draw. The host city displays at the Final Draw and at Cape Town Stadium during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ promoted Cape Town and the Western Cape as responsible-tourism destinations.
A portable Green Goal exhibition was procured and used at the 2010 biodiversity expo as well as a number of other smaller expos in Cape Town before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The exhibition was used at a Germany/South Africa expo in June 2010 and, in the FIFA Fan Fest™ media centre for the remainder of the World Cup period. For four months following the event, the exhibition was displayed in the Cape Town Stadium visitor centre.
FIFA made extensive use of a new product, X-board (Xanita board), which is manufactured in Cape Town, for the production of temporary furniture in the Final Draw venue and in the stadia during the FCC and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches. The board is lightweight with a printable laminate surface; is entirely recyclable, and can be reprocessed into pulp, achieving cradle-to-cradle ecological benefi ts. Host City Cape Town used X-board as part of an exhibition to support the fuel-effi ciency campaign.
For the duration of the World Cup, Green Goal projects were showcased in a specially designed and constructed Green Goal expo at the FIFA Fan Fest™ on the Grand Parade. The expo was designed to inform soccer fans about the Green Goal programme, encourage visitors to enjoy the World Cup activities in a responsible manner, and motivate fans to apply green living practices in their daily lives. The expo structure had been specifi cally designed to demonstrate the use of materials that were recycled, reusable, reclaimed, or newly purchased but earmarked for reuse afterwards, so as to produce zero waste after deconstruction.
Lessons learnt on the Green Goal exhibitions
The portable Green Goal exhibition was widely used at events in the months leading up the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and its installation in the FIFA Fan Fest™ media centre during the event increased the media’s exposure to the Green Goal message. Elements from the portable exhibition were on display at the G-ForSE conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2010 as well as the Brazil Ministry of Sport 2014 FIFA World Cup™ and Sustainability seminar held in Rio de Janeiro in December 2010.
The Green Goal 2010 expo at the FIFA Fan Fest™ successfully showcased the City’s Green Goal campaign. This was measured by visitors’ responses to the stand (both written and verbal), which were overwhelmingly positive from both locals and tourists. Many visitors (especially locals) asked questions such as ‘What can we do?’, ‘Is the City going to carry on with this after the World Cup?’ and ‘Where can we fi nd out more?’
The expo was a unique physical creation, and the fl ags and interesting look of the expo made it easy for people to fi nd. People were intrigued by the stand, praised it, and were delighted to learn about what the City had done to green the World Cup. Locals were amazed and proud of what the City had done. It was a much talked-of stand, and people often returned to it or used it as a landmark meeting place at the FIFA Fan Fest™. In many ways, it was quite iconic.
However, it was difficult to measure the extent of information visitors absorbed, and the messages they took with them. Also, it is diffi cult to ascertain whether the programme of activities will promote long-term behavioural change. The programme objectives centred on enlightening, educating, motivating and encouraging. One can only hope that some meaningful information was received and that, in time, behaviour will change.
Pamphlets and information brochures were available at the stand. However, it is debateable as to how effective these were. Sometimes, visitors just collected the brochures without engaging with the stand at all. Some days, no printed materials were put out on the stand; then, it was found that visitors engaged more in conversation and with the information presented in the stand itself. However, most people welcomed printed materials. Therefore, it was diffi cult to achieve the right balance between materials and actual engagement with the stand.
Green Goal 2010 awards
The Host City Cape Town 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Green Goal Action Plan and workshop series won a silver Impumelelo Sustainability Award. Over 250 applications from across South Africa were received.
Host City Cape Town and KAS were instrumental in bringing the opportunity of a National 2010 Sustainability Award to the attention of the Impumelelo Awards Trust. The Impumelelo 2010 Sustainability Award was consequently launched in May 2009, with KAS as a headline partner and Danny Jordaan, LOC CEO, as the guest of honour. The Cape Town Green Map, a legacy project of Green Goal 2010, made the top-100 cut.
Host City Cape Town’s Green Goal programme also received a certificate for “Best-Practice Model for Environmental Sustainability” from KAS at the SA-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry gala dinner on 10 July 2010.
More recently, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Host City Cape Town Green Goal programme was awarded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sport and Environment Award. Nominated by FIFA, the award recognises the efforts of the Host City to mitigate negative environmental impacts of the World Cup and to maximise the positive environmental and social legacy.
Lessons learnt on Green Goal 2010 awards
There are clear benefits to ensuring a Green Goal awards programme. This motivates local authorities and their implementing partners, and creates awareness of event greening and its importance.
Key references for Green Goal communications
- City of Cape Town. February 2009. Draft Green Goal 2010 marketing and awareness plan.
- City of Cape Town. 2009. Cape Town – 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Host City. Ready to Welcome the World. Official 2010 FIFA World Cup™ site. www.capetown.gov.za/ fifaworldcup.
- Columns and features in Cape Times, Cape Argus and Die Burger. Impumelelo Awards Trust. April 2008. 2010 Sustainability Award.
- Impumelelo Awards Trust. November 2010. Impumelelo Magazine.
- FIFA Local Organising Committee (LOC). April 2008. Communications Action Plan for FIFA 2010 World Cup™ (Unpublished).
- Sustainable Energy Africa. October 2008. 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Host City Cape Town Green Goal Action Plan.