"Green Goal" is the title of the ambitious environmental strategy for the World Cup. The aim is to make the tournament in Germany the first-ever climate neutral World Cup.

This strategy is a joint project of the German Football Association (DFB) and the World Cup Organising Committee supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Federal Foundation for the Environment (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt-DBU).

Climate protection: Fairness for the future

The World Cup should have the least possible impact on the environment. This is to be achieved by a 20% reduction in water and energy consumption, less waste and 50% of journeys being made by public transport.
"Fair play is a fundamental tenet of sport – Climate protection is fair play for future generations", claimed Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel on 10 March in an interim review of the "Green Goal" policy.

With three months to go before the opening match in the World Cup, preparations are on the home stretch. "You could say we're doing better on the Green Goal front than on the sporting side of things", declared OC Senior Vice-President Horst Schmidt.

More money has been raised than expected: business sponsors have donated over one million euros to ensure the World Cup stands out as a shining example in the environmental sphere.