The Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is world-renowned for creating futuristic, cutting-edge and popular designs, like the Tate Modern gallery in London. Now the company is working on what might be one of its most innovative projects yet: a new, eco-friendly football stadium.

The building will be constructed in Bordeaux, France, and serve as the new home for the Bordeaux Girondins team. And most importantly, it will be powered by solar energy! Using a photovoltaic pump, clean power will be distributed throughout the stadium and the surrounding area. Construction is expected to be done by 2016, just in time for UEFA European Football Championship play. And that’s a good thing, too, because the stadium can hold more than 40,000 fans!

What do you all think? Is this the future of football stadiums in Europe and beyond?

The FIFA Women’s World Cup will kick off in Germany on June 26th and runs until July 17th, and it looks set to be an exciting tournament with the some of the best teams and players in the world. FIFA has also made a strong commitment to making this year’s world cup a green one.

In February, the organization launched its environmental initiative “Green Goal 2011” with the aim of assessing the World Cup’s environmental impact and finding ways to reduce that impact throughout the tournament. That means organizers are monitoring things like energy and water consumption, trash disposal, transportation and food as part of an eco-friendly management system in all the stadiums.