Going Green

The Vancouver Winter Olympics extended its program to include the social and economic dimensions of sustainability for the 2010 Games.

Beyond the environmental impacts and benefits of the Games, Vancouver now recognizes local and global sustainability practices. Learning from past games and practices, and current sustainability initiatives, the 2010 Winter Olympics embraces opportunities to make an impact.

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Games are the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to take an integrated approach to forecasting, reducing, offsetting and publicly reporting its carbon footprint. According to Vancouver2010.org, “Sustainability at VANOC means managing the environmental, social and economic impacts and opportunities of our Games to produce lasting benefits, locally and globally.”

Aside from thinking sustainability, Vancouver signed a historic protocol with the Four Host First Nations (FHFN), to ensure that the Nations in whose traditional territories the Games are being held are involved with their planning, hosting and legacy. The games are held on the traditional and shared traditional territories of the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

A Sustainable Sport and Event Toolkit (SSET) is also being used to measure sustainable practices in Vancouver, as well as for other local and international sport organizations and events. In addition, Vancouver reached out to those who don’t typically participate in opportunities created by the Games by targeting inner-city residents and businesses.

LEED standards were incorporated into the venue’s design, and green principles are now included in the operations and events, including transportation, waste management and food services. A sustainable purchasing and ethical sourcing program called Buy Smart was also launched.

A new sustainability initiative, The Vancouver 2010 Sustainability Star program, was established to recognize initiatives by the Games partners and sponsors, who show positive and measurable social, economic and environmental impacts.

Other measures include raising awareness by encouraging participants, spectators and others to get involved and take part in the initiatives, with a program called “Do Your Part.

Vancouver is leaving lasting legacies. With accessible energy and water efficient community facilities, management tools, such as the SSET; transferable programs like Buy Smart, carbon management and asset-disposal programs, affordable housing units in Vancouver and Whistler, and in six other BC communities, and changing transportation habits, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics will create lasting benefits in the surrounding communities.

Vancouver is accountable for its performance on sustainability. Their efforts can be found in the annual sustainability reports.

Visit http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/sustainability/sustainability-videos/ to view sustainability videos.

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1 comments

Jeremy

Thu Feb 25 2010 18:10

While the Vancouver Olympics efforts were commendable, a lot of the green hype was just that. Even the "green medals" were overblown.

Dozens of websites promoted them as being made from gold and copper recovered from e-waste; turns out it was only about 1.5 percent recycled material, with the rest from normal (not very eco-friendly) mining.

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