Yarden Har Lev and NOC Israel

Planting Hope and Protecting the Environment

Team Israel and Sderot Residents Plant a New Climate Forest Ahead of Paris 2024

In a significant step toward promoting sustainability in sports, the Olympic Committee of Israel (NOC) has spearheaded a national initiative over the past year, uniting sports federations, athletes, and fans to address the climate crisis. As part of this ongoing effort, the NOC recently signed the United Nations “Sports for Climate Action” framework, committed to reducing its carbon footprint, and pledged to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with Israel’s Olympic delegation for the Paris 2024 Games by planting a climate forest in the city of Sderot.

This unique initiative involves Olympic athletes joining forces with Sderot’s residents to plant trees in a collaborative project promoting environmental responsibility and social resilience. The project is supported by the NOC, Sderot Municipality, the Ashkelon Coastal Environmental Unit, the Good Energy Initiative NGO, and the Jewish National Fund (JNF), all working together to foster community revitalisation and climate resilience – values at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

The NOC of Israel has calculated that its annual activities generate approximately 450 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq), with nearly 70% of these emissions stemming from official delegation flights to international competitions. The delegation’s travel to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games alone accounts for approximately 220 tons of CO2, which is comparable to the emissions of 75 medium-sized family cars over a year, or around 3,000 trips between Metula and Eilat. To neutralise this environmental impact, the NOC is planting approximately 250 trees, helping offset the carbon emissions associated with the travel of the Olympic delegation.

Yael Arad, President of the Olympic Committee of Israel, emphasized the importance of this initiative:

“Planting a community climate forest marks a significant milestone in the Sustainability Strategy Plan led by the NOC of Israel. The goal of this initiative is twofold. In one aspect, it promotes an environmental agenda by offsetting the carbon emissions of the the Olympic delegation’s flights for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the second aspect, it expresses our social responsibility to strengthen and re-grow the local community in the spirit of Olympic Values, which is why we chose to cooperate with the Sderot Municipality. We thank all partners and believe that in the coming years the Olympic athletes will become agents of change in Israeli sports to create a more sustainable society.”

The initiative not only addresses environmental concerns but also embodies the Olympic spirit of community and resilience, providing a lasting legacy for Sderot while inspiring others across the nation to take meaningful action toward a sustainable future. We congratulate Yarden Har Lev and everyone involved from the Israeli Olympic family and look forward to seeing what this project will achieve in the future.

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