A certificação ambiental e a sustentabilidade em arenas esportivas brasileiras

Abstract

The concept of sustainable development proposed at the World Environment Conferences regards the rational use of natural resources in harmony with the environment and to ensure the planetary sustainability of current and future generations. Thus, the Civil Construction production chain plays an important role in this regard, due to the high consumption of natural resources and the pollution generated. To evaluate sustainability in Civil Construction, environmental certifications were created, such as such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This certification was used at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to certify sports arenas to be built or refurbished in twelve host cities, as required by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The question that motivated this research certificates was whether this process effectively improved environmental performance of certified stadiums and if they can be considered "more sustainable". This dissertation evaluated the process of environmental certification by the international organization LEED used in Brazilian sports arenas, according to the sustainability criteria for Civil Construction. The study had a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach. For the analysis of sustainability and environmental performance were selected ten Brazilian stadiums certified by LEED (version 3.0 - 2009). The relevance of this theme concerns the role of football in the country: over a weekend over 200,000 people go to the stadiums, using public or private transport, producing waste and consuming natural resources, water and energy. In addition, there is a large spectator audience outside the stadiums. The three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects) must be contemplated, without which we cannot talk about sustainability in the stadiums, although these have been certified and progress made in this regard. From the economic point of view, some stadiums could have better environmental performance, with lower operating and maintenance costs and expenses, above all by continuing the environmental actions adopted. Even the stadiums that made gains, yet they have difficulties to become profitable, because a large audience and constant to cover operating costs. The sociocultural aspect could be contemplated in all certifications of sports arenas, especially in public awareness campaigns, such as: encouraging the preservation of the environment, waste recycling, reduction of water and energy consumption, encouraging the use of public or alternative transport, fight against racism, violence, among others. The limitation of this research concerns the impossibility of verifying what was actually left of the legacy of the stadiums that hosted the 2014 World Cup. For future studies, is suggested to develop indicators to evaluate empirically what is left of the environmental actions carried out in the arenas certified for the 2014 World Cup, besides developing a methodology better suited to the Brazilian reality to certify the small and medium size stadiums, independent of certifications like the LEED seal, in order to implement sustainable actions with environmental, economic and social gains.