Essendon players and coach Kevin Sheedy wore green armbands at the MCG on Sunday as a sign of their concern for the environment and the impacts of greenhouse pollution.
President of the Australian Conservation Foundation Peter Garrett said the decision to wear the armbands was a personal choice made by players, coaching staff and members of the Bomber executive.
“ACF approached the Bombers to consider a proposal to wear the armbands as a signal to world leaders meeting in Bonn, Germany, this weekend, to come to the table and ratify the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse pollution,” he said.
Nine years in the making, the Kyoto Protocol is an agreement between the world's wealthy nations to reduce their greenhouse pollution on average by 5.2% (based on 1990 levels) between 2008-2012.
A recent newspoll showed that more than 80% of Australians want the Australian Government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol - even if it means we go ahead without the United States.
“It’s fantastic to see members of the Bomber squad make an individual and personal statement about their concern for the environment and the ramifications of greenhouse pollution which we know will impact heavily on Australia,” Mr Garrett said.
“The Bombers are sending a clear signal to our leaders and the community that we need to do our utmost to look after the environment. This is a big action for a big issue, and a welcome sign of the high level of concern among Essendon footballers which I’m sure is shared by many fans.”
Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson said players and coaches were allowed to make a personal decision on whether to wear the green armbands. ""We discussed the environment in the lead up to the game and we felt, on a personal basis, that we would like to make a contribution to raise awareness about greenhouse pollution and the deteriorating state of the environment. We want a future for our families and our children and a healthy environment obviously plays a central role. We wanted to raise some awareness of the issue,"" Jackson said.
