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Vienna goes green for EURO
by Berend Scholten
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Vienna's environmental city councillor Ulli
Sima has a drink from one of ten new water fountains (¿Stadt Wien
Marketing)
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Vienna is set for an environmentally friendly UEFA EURO
2008T thanks to plans put in place to cut down on waste, manage waste
disposal and encourage the use of public transport.
Green issues
Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion was the first of the four Austrian stadiums
to receive the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) certificate, which
is a voluntary initiative designed to improve environmental performance.
Carbon dioxide emission at the stadium has been reduced by 35 per cent
thanks to schemes such as the installation of photovoltaic panels which
help convert solar energy into electricity.
Water fountains
Keeping Vienna clean poses a particular challenge during UEFA EURO 2008T
and the city is well prepared with some 1,200 workers on hand to get the
job done. Wiener Wasserwerke, Vienna's water company, meanwhile, will
install ten extra dinking fountains in the fan zones and busy areas such
as train stations for thirsty fans. The water fountains will be equipped
with nozzles to allow fans to spray themselves to keep cool on hot days.
Wiener Stadtgarten, the body responsible for parks in Vienna, has entered
into the spirit of the tournament by mounting 240 metal statues of footballers
in green spaces throughout the city, as well as planting "living
footballs", box trees in the shape of a ball.
Euro2008.uefa.com,
15 April 2008
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