All that glitters is not gold

by Eleonora Anello

Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in a green. The rich and challenging program of environmental sustainability prepared by VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games) is proposing to cut 118,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The commitment can be seen starting from the ceremonies and more particularly by the award ceremonies. The medals awarded to winners were in fact made of partially recycled metal. The symbolic innovation uses tons of e-waste (tubes, motherboards, circuits) treated by Teck Resources, a Canadian company inventor of the process for the recovery of these "undesirable" metals.

More generally, a great effort has been made to minimize the environmental impact of the sporting event by adopting the principles of green building in the construction of buildings and structures. The sports facilities that host the races use of renewable energy sources and reuse rainwater for unloading the toilet. The occasion was good to introduce sustainable mobility solutions that are also designed to last over time, like the ridesharing and the carpooling, which are part of the broader initiative called TravelSmart. In addition, all emissions that could not be cut have been offset through projects that use clean technologies to remove or avoid emissions in equal measure.

But what about the many trucks that have carried the artificial snow on the slopes due to the abnormally warm for the Canadian season? Has also the VANOC taken account of these contingencies?

But the competitive event will also be an opportunity to promote a stronger awareness among citizens of the environment. To them it was designed an online tool that not only calculates the carbon footprint but also suggests ways to remedy not sustainable lifestyles.

On the basis of the same principles the collaboration between VANOC and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) was born, which gave life to "Do your part," a green contest in which young Canadians aged 13 to 24 years, are called to try in the production of short videos, including animation, to describe the behaviours sustainable implemented during the Olympic Games.

Certainly it is not the first time that the sport is combined with ecology. We had already given the news about the 2009 Baseball World Cup, a true green event, and the separate waste collection launched by Conai inside Italians stadiums. It seems that UNEP should continue on this road. Many future sporting events with which UNEP has established partnerships.

Olympics message of peace, respect among all men and, in Vancouver, among men and nature. An edition in which we can really say that athletes have brought home something more than just a medal.