THE Greens are truly living up to their nickname by staging the world's first ever carbon-neutral football match.

Argyle have teamed up with ecology project management company Carbon Life, utilising their Carbon Life Endorsed Verified Emissions Reductions CO2e mechanisms, and energy consultants Independent Utilities for the visit of champions-in-waiting Newcastle United on Monday, April 19.

All of the damage to the environment as a result of the staging of the game will be offset through renewable energy projects in the Third World.

The match-day programme for the live Sky TV game, will be printed on recycled paper; the carbon footprint of everybody coming to the match, including both teams, will be calculated and offset; waste from the game will be recycled; and official club sponsors Ginsters will provide food from locally sourced ingredients.

Carl Hughes, co-founder and director of Carbon Life Ltd is delighted to be helping make history by sponsoring the match.

He said: "Carbon Life/CLEVER CO2e are proud to be supporting Plymouth Argyle in delivering their environmental ambitions.

"The Green Army are truly dedicated to raising awareness around the issues of climate change, as well as leading by example and addressing their own carbon emissions.

"By working with Carbon Life and the CLEVER CO2e mechanisms, Argyle have committed to understanding the carbon impact attributable to their football games, make real changes to show what can be achieved, and offset the residual emissions associated to the match through robust, transparent and quantifiable carbon projects.

"This initiative marks the beginning of a series of environmental programmes that Argyle will be undertaking to further support their contribution to the fight against climate change."

Argyle Chairman Sir Roy Gardner added: "It is fantastic for Plymouth Argyle to be at the forefront of this ground-breaking initiative.

"It is well documented that Newcastle to Plymouth is the longest trip in the Football League, so to be able to offset the carbon footprint for that amount of travel, not to mention all the other energy consumption and waste surrounding the game, is a phenomenal achievement.

"We thank Carbon Life and Independent Utilities for giving us this marvelous opportunity to protect our planet.

"We also express our gratitude to all of our partners who will be embracing this unique event."

The club, along with its partners, will gather the following information from four key areas to calculate the carbon footprint of the Argyle versus Newcastle United match:

Transport
Argyle will provide Carbon Life with information about the geographical location of the Green Army and the travelling behavior of those fans.

The information provided will be calculated in line with national travel figures to create a 'best practice' calculation. Argyle will also conduct a survey outside the game to gather as much real-time information as possible

Calculations will also be made on how far Argyle head coach Paul Mariner, his staff and the team travel to the ground on a match-day, so that their emissions can also be offset.

The carbon footprint of Newcastle's Toon Army will also be calculated in the same manner. Numbers and types of coaches, cars and planes, and the amount and type of fuel used, will be factored in to the equation.

The Newcastle team's footprint will also be assessed.

Stadium Energy Consumption
Carbon Life will gather all data on May 1 from Independent Utilities, the club's official energy partner - readings are being taken from the main meters at Home Park so that everything that uses electricity or gas, on the day, will be accounted for.

Waste
Local waste disposal company Sita will be at the ground to collect waste in recycling bins, and will then help to calculate how much normal and recycled waste is collected on the day. They will then work out the distance between Home Park and their landfill site and their recycling plant.

Paper
As a special contribution, Deltor, the publishers of the Pilgrim match-day programme, will print the programme on carbon-neutral recycled paper, provided by paper merchants McNaughton at no charge to the club. The delivery route from their depot in Saltash to the stadium will also be taken into account.

McNaughton will also be supplying paper for the 500-plus team-sheets that are distributed around the ground every match day, as well as other match-day printing requirements.

Catering
Ginsters, the club's official sponsors, will also be doing their bit by providing food from locally sourced ingredients to areas such as the boardroom, the Pyramid Suite and also to the Argyle Lounge. All food miles will be accounted for within the carbon footprint.