Rio Ferdinand is no ordinary world-class footballer. As well as amassing 78 caps for England and counting, winning three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League with Manchester United, the 32-year-old is also a successful entrepreneur in his own right with business interests in dining, film, TV, music and digital media.
The central defender, who's broken the domestic transfer record twice (£18m from West Ham to Leeds United in 2000, then £30m from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002), part-owns swanky Italian restaurant Rosso in Manchester city centre. He also runs record label White Chalk Music and publishes his own online magazine entitled #5 (his shirt number) with the strapline "Sport personality style".
And he has his own official website at rioferdinand.com and Tweets as rioferdy5. There's been a big photoshoot with friend and heavyweight boxing champion David Haye, plus a credit as executive producer of the movie Dead Man Running. Charity, too, is taken seriously. He could make occasional donations to the causes of his choice, but instead he's set up the Rio Ferdinand Live the Dream Foundation, aiming to nurture and develop young people from deprived communities seeking careers in sports and entertainment.
With so much happening in his life, Ferdinand has become conscious of his carbon footprint and decided to set himself some clearly defined goals both on and off the pitch. "The type of goals I might normally set myself at United would be very different, but the principle is the same," he says. "They give me something to aim for, and they'll help me to look back at what I've achieved over the course of the next few months."
Accordingly he's teamed up with E.ON, one of the UK's leading energy companies and FA Cup sponsor, to keep an online monthly diary of his energy use. Rio began by refitting his house with energy-efficient light bulbs, learning how to use an energy monitor, and turning off his TV, laptop and PlayStation after use.
Now he's concentrating on turning the heating at home down by one degree – "even when I get in from training in the freezing cold" – and exploring ways to make his restaurant more energy-efficient.
Ferdinand's childhood club Eltham Town recently received its own energy efficiency makeover as part of E.ON's Energy Fit campaign, which is encouraging the amateur football industry to save up to 30% on annual energy bills by making a few behavioural changes and updating old heating, lighting and power appliances at their grounds.
Can Ferdinand get energy-fit on and off the pitch? "To be honest, I didn't really know a great deal about energy efficiency, but I decided it's about time I did. The first steps were learning about the small changes we can all make in our homes, and now my kids are obsessed with checking the energy monitor's dial every few minutes to see how low they can get it. It's a great way to get them learning about energy consumption – and the only way I've managed to get them to turn off their computers of an evening!
"I'll also be trying to get my family in the habit of turning off lights when they leave a room, and eventually I'd like to tackle more advanced ideas like getting solar panels fitted to my house to generate my own power. If I can do it, anyone can."
You heard him. Why not join Rio on his energy-fit journey and sign up today? A wealth of practical advice and tips – plus Rio's blog – can be found at facup.eonenergyfit.com. If you'd like to nominate your local amateur football club for its own £40,000 energy makeover visit facebook.com/eonenergyfit. The more nominations your club receives, the better chance it has of winning, so get everyone to do their bit.
How energy fit Are you?
Fancy making some serious energy savings around the home? To understand how e.on's energy fit campaign can reduce bills, simply carry out your own energy audit at eonenergyfit.com. The website features an online calculator that will determine the energy "fitness" of your property and provide specific recommendations to help improve its rating. To follow Rio Ferdinand's energy-saving blog, pick up a host of energy-saving tips and advice, plus play an online game for the chance to winFA Cup tickets visit facup.eonenergyfit.com
