1 March 2010 - 12:382010 Winter Olympics- Raise The Bar High

Post by Prabhjit Banga

These Olympics are being called the “greenest” Olympics of all times. In fact, the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) made environmental sustainability a priority for the games. It informed every decision from where to put ski trails to what materials were used in the buildings.

So the question remains, were the Winter Olympics green? It depends on how you look at it.

When American speed skater Trevor Marsicano got off the airplane he said, “What’s this green grass doing here?” Cypress Mountain, where major skiing and other events were held had no snow. Instead of switching locations to snow-filled Whistler, trucks and helicopters transported snow three hours-from Manning Park all the way to Cypress Mountain. This was certainly not very green at all.

On the success side is Vancouver’s athletes village. The villages and venues were built using  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The village, in particular, was built according to LEED’s gold standard. Features considered included the selection of the village site, energy efficiency, the inclusion of green roofs, the reuse of rainwater and access to public transportation.

Critics, like Dr. Chris Shaw of the University of British Columbia, say all this attention to glossy, green initiatives is hiding more painful realities. For example: does contracting with a green paper supplier justify the Olympic deforestation and habitat displacement that occurred along the Sea to Sky highway or along sensitive ecosystems such as the Eagle Ridge Bluffs?

As environmental issues continue to become more and more pressing, it’s crucial that long-term, legitimate measures be taken on the part of organizations like the Olympic Committees. The Vancouver Olympics raised the bar for staging responsible, if not yet truly sustainable, events, so let’s wait and see what London 2012 has in store. Watch out for the full environmental assessment report of the winter games by United Nations Environmental Programme.

By the way, how green do you think the 2010 Olympics were?