Team Sky will be turning green at this year’s Tour de France to help save one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest.
Squad supporting Sky Rainforest Rescue
Team Sky will be turning green at this year’s Tour de France to help save one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest.
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 vital work that Sky, WWF and the Acre state government are doing to help save a billion trees is of universal importance and we are proud to be able to help support that effort."
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.
Fantastic opportunity
Wiggins explained: "Changing to green for the Tour de France is a fantastic opportunity to draw attention to a hugely important issue. Millions of fans around the world will be following the Tour this summer and I hope they join us in supporting Sky Rainforest Rescue."
Sky Rainforest Rescue is a three-year partnership between Sky and WWF. Deforestation is now responsible for around 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions and an area the size of three football pitches is destroyed every minute in the Amazon.
Colin Butfield, WWF’s Head of Campaigns, said: "It’s fantastic to see Team Sky’s world class cyclists like Bradley Wiggins get behind our work in Acre. We hope that with Team Sky flying the flag for the rainforest at the Tour de France, this will encourage a whole new audience to support our work through Sky Rainforest Rescue."
As well as raising awareness amongst the Tour de France’s millions of global fans, Team Sky also hopes to encourage donations throughout the Grand Tour. Sky will match each donation £ for £ up to £2million to the campaign target of £4million. Each £10 donated will help save 500 trees and with it, help to improve people's lives by supporting sustainable farming methods and promote long-term conservation of the rainforest - to make a donation at any point simply
click here.
Team Sky is also 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 right here on www.teamsky.com.
