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Many co2balance customers choose to work with us as part of their overall environmental strategy. Media giant BSkyB have been a client for a number of years choosing co2balance to calculate the green house gas emissions related to many events and business processes. Many of these are low key events and as such are part of what BSkyB do to support their commitment to the environment. This time it’s right out in the open.
Professional Cycling’s Toughest Challenge
This year Team Sky, the BSkyB professional cycling team, will be turning green at this year’s Tour de France to help save one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest. In addition to raising the profile of BSkyB’s rainforest program the total carbon footprint of the team participation will be measured and offset by UK based co2balance making team sky the first CarbonZero team in the tour.
Team Sky’s kit, bikes, equipment and vehicles will change from blue to green for all 21 stages of the race to help raise awareness and support for Sky Rainforest Rescue, a three year partnership between Sky and WWF to help save a billion trees in the state of Acre, northwest Brazil.
Dave Brailsford, Team Sky Principal, said: “As a team we saw the opportunity to change our bikes and kit to green as the perfect way to raise awareness of Sky Rainforest Rescue amongst the Tour de France’s millions of world wide fans.
The nine Team Sky riders competing in the race – Edvald Boasson Hagen, Juan Antonio Flecha, Simon Gerrans, Christian Knees, Ben Swift, Geraint Thomas, Rigoberto Uran, Bradley Wiggins and Xabier Zandio – will ride specifically created green Pinarello bikes. Their entire kit will change from blue to green including jerseys, sunglasses, helmets, water bottles, saddles and they will be supported by branded Jaguar vehicles and even a new look team bus.
Team Sky is working with CO2Balance to invest in projects that will save equivalent amounts of carbon to those created by the team’s participation in this year’s Tour de France. In addition, cO2Balance are helping Team Sky to bench mark total emissions for the season with an aim to ensuring year on year decreases in team emissions.
The 2011 Tour de France will begin on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and will finish on the Champs Elysees on 24 July. You can follow Team Sky every step of the way at www.teamsky.com