KIRSTY MACKAY FOR "THE WORLD"
ReportageThe small British group, the first carbon neutral football club certified by the UN, received the local green light in late December for the construction of its new stadium, presented as the most ecological sports arena in the world.
"You come for football, huh? " In the mind of Ian Leach, a taxi driver in Stroud, a small town in the county of Gloucestershire (west of England), the answer to this question is no doubt: the Forest Green Rovers (FGR), located a few kilometers away from there, in the middle of the forest in the village of Nailsworth, are a major attraction of the region. And what made the reputation of the local team, boarder of the English fourth division (League Two), is not so much its prowess on the ground as its green revolution, operated for ten years.
FGR thus became the first football club certified carbon neutral by the United Nations (UN) in 2018 – that is to say, it offsets its carbon footprint by investing in emission reduction programs like planting trees. In April 2019, its president Dale Vince was appointed ambassador to the United Nations to involve the world of sport in the fight against climate change (Sports for Climate Action). And at the end of December of the same year, the Stroud District Council approved plans for its new stadium, Eco Park, which is touted as the greenest sports arena in the world. The structure, made entirely of wood, is expected to accommodate 5,000 spectators and could be launched in three to five years. However, the site is still suspended from a final validation by the British executive: "It remains to be seen to what extent the government (from curator Boris) Johnson to be an obstacle or ally in the fight against climate change "then summarized Dale Vince on Facebook.
For now, we still have to climb the two steep kilometers which separate the center of the city from The New Lawn, the current Forest Green Rovers stadium, which is nestled at the top of a hill, at the end of the aptly named "another way".
Vegan and neon green beer
The way of sustainable development, the club took it in 2010, after the"Happy accident" who put Dale Vince on his way. The training is plagued by financial difficulties and its leaders are forced to seek local entrepreneurs to replenish the funds. Mr. Vince, founder of Ecotricity, a firm specializing in green energies, agrees to provide ad hoc assistance, but the authorities of the FGR ask him to stay and take the post of president.
