2008-05-22 14:43
35 UKRAINIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS URGE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT...

35 UKRAINIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS URGE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT TO INCORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS INTO PLANNING FOR EURO 2012 EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

For release:
Thursday, May 22, 2008

Contacts (in Ukraine):
National Ecological Center of Ukraine (NECU)
Irina Stavchuk:
+38(095) 273-2673

Ukrainian-American Environmental Association (UAEA)
Taras Lychuk: (in Ukraine)
+38 (067) 750-5192
Ken Bossong: (in the USA)
+1 (301) 270-6477 ext. 23

Kyiv, Ukraine – In an open letter sent today to members of the Ukrainian government and the Euro 2012 National Agency of Ukraine, thirty five Ukrainian environmental organizations appealed to government officials to incorporate environmental standards into planning for the 2012 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Football Championship.

“The Euro-2012 Program adopted by the Ukrainian Government does not have a single mention of environmental planning and components that should be incorporated into Euro-2012 Championship preparation and conduct, said Taras Lychuk, Co-director of the Ukrainian-American Environmental Association (UAEA), which initiated the sign-on letter to the Ukrainian government. “Ukrainian environmental organizations consider that an environmentally-responsible and conscious approach towards Euro-2012 Championship would reduce energy costs and adverse environmental impacts associated with transportation, heating and lighting of facilities, and waste disposal – before, during and after the Championship.”

“In this letter we listed a range of specific measures and recommendations which should be implemented for ‘greening’ the Euro-2012 Championship preparation and conduct,” said Irina Stavchuk, Coordinator of the Working Group of Ukrainian Environmental Organizations on Climate Change Issues, which actively joined the sign-on campaign. “These recommendations deal with energy-efficient designs for heating, cooling, and lighting of the facilities which will be used in the Championship. We also recommend the use of renewable energy technologies and recycled and/or non-toxic materials in the construction or rehabilitation of hotels, restaurants, stadiums, and other buildings associated with the program.”

Environmentalists also recommend that local authorities, especially those cities which will host the Euro-2012 Championship, implement some actions to rehabilitate, maintain and enlarge green zones such as parks, botanical gardens and green recreational areas.

Similarly, environmental organizations recommend emphasizing reliance on railway service and mass transit rather than private automobiles, developing high-speed railroad connections, making broad use of renewable fuels (e.g., biodiesel and other biofuels) and hybrid-electric vehicles in taxi services, and maximizing energy-savings in all support structures.

The letter concluded with an appeal for strong cooperation between environmental organizations and the Ukrainian government during the Euro-2012 campaign and noted that successful models of “greening” the Championship can be found in recent Olympic Games and other sporting events as well as other large-scale construction programs in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.