Hopefully many of you have noticed that we are more than a week into the month long FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa. It’s the first time the event has been hosted anywhere in Africa which gives the tournament its own unique identity and if you’ve watched even a few minutes you’ve surely noticed South Africa’s World Cup will also be remembered for the noise in the stadiums. Instead of the usual singing and chanting associated with football all you hears is a constant buzz – or drone. The noise never relents and has been compared to swarming bees, hornets and angry mosquitoes and dominates the audio transmission from kick off until the referee blows the final whistle. The noise is (at times) 50% or more of the amassed crowds in the stadium blowing their Vuvuzelas and as the game warms up so does the noise.

The hum of the vuvuzela is driving me crazy I must confess, I want to hear singing, chanting and applause, I want to hear the electricity in the stadium spark in volume as a winger goes on a tricky run or the roar of the crowd when the ball hits the back of the net. Instead all we hear is buzzzzzzzzzzz for 90 minutes, now as we’re obviously stuck with the vuvuzela for the duration of the tournament lets look at them. They are a long (about 2.5-3 feet) trumpet type noisemaker and are a proud feature of the football atmosphere in South Africa. Sales of the vuvuzelas are going through the roof as everyone seeks to be part of the atmosphere and entertainment both inside and outside the stadium, the primary manufacturer in China estimates that sales will exceed 1 million pieces before the tournament concludes.

Now I think the vuvuzela as a celebratory instrument as a cultural tradition is excellent and as recently as ten years ago the instruments were hand made from tin. The bad news for the environment and this World Cup craze is all of the Vuvuzelas mass produced are made from plastic. I’d also be fairly confident that many of the plastic horns will be thrown away once the football ends rather than being kept as a memento from the trip to South Africa. It’s another example where affordability takes the pole position over environmental considerations. However I think many of the hundreds of thousands of fans who are spending thousands of dollars to visit South Africa in the first place, would be very likely to consider one of the alternative options available. Though a little more expensive, probably something far more likely to be packed in your suitcase and brought home as a memory of the experience. We have to stop rushing to plastics as the answer for a cheap affordable option when the cost is so high.

A wonderful alternative is available but the age old argument of product promotion steps into play. K.E.L.P makes a beautiful option, Kelp horns are made from dried kelp. The kelp pieces are painted using designs that are suited to the various shapes of the horns and to the customer’s requirements. The horns consist of two distinct sections. The head and the body. The head is the bulbous area often including the dried fronds and the body is the extended length of the horn. The head is the main feature and the body is painted with a matching design. Not only are they environmentally friendly but they are really rather beautiful (pictured to the right).

I don’t  really like the vuvuzelas impacting the World Cup but would prefer if they were green. The video below examines the noise further.

Tags: fifa world cup, impact of vuvuzela, planet forward, plastic vuvuzela, plastics, traditional vuvuzela, vuvuzela, vuvuzela history, World Cup 2010, world cup south africa