The International Olympic Committee is looking to take steps to make the Olympics more environmentally friendly. And by announcing CEO Andrew Liveris and Dow Chemical the official sponsor of the Olympics for at least the next decade people can see that they are serious about this effort.
With the recent naming of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the host of the 2016 Summer Games, there has already been talk about who will host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Many say that the United States is seriously pushing to win the bid.
If they do indeed win this bid these environmental changes really could take place. Because not only is the United States Olympic Committee USOC looking to further athletic achievements, but to make substantial environmental changes to the event.
As fantastic and unifying as the Olympics are, it's quite a carbon-rich event. So while these changes may only seem minor, they're actually a huge deal.
It has been estimated that over 2/3 of the carbon emissions from the event is a result of some of the 1.5+ million attendees traveling (mostly via airplane) to and from the event.
CEO Andrew Liveris and USOC members are looking to do more by following the lead of the 2008 Summer Games, held in Beijing. The summer Olympics made great efforts to showcase conservation practices and sustainable energy sources. Exactly what environmentally friendly services did the Olympic facilities feature?
- Solar power - Used to light lawns, courtyards and streets at several venues, including the Olympic Village. A 130 KW photovoltaic system illuminated The National Stadium, where events such as athletics and football were held.
- Water Conservation - Waste water collected from the Qinghe sewage treatment plant was filtered and used for the various heating and cooling needs throughout the Olympics site, yielding a 60% savings in electricity. Rainwater was collected from around the grounds, collecting over 75,000 gallons by using water permeable bricks, pipes and wells installed on roofs, roads and green areas.
- Natural Light - Remember the famous 'Water Cube' where the aquatic events were held? The walls of the National Aquatics Center provided natural light, and for the interior of the building, specially designed 'beam-pipes' funneled sunlight into corridors, toilets and car parks at venues, including the Olympic Green.
- Recycling - The 2008 Olympic hosts aimed for a 50 per cent recycling of waste including paper, metals and plastics at venues. A modest expectation, considering that a test run carried out during the 11th World Softball Championships held in 2007, achieved a nearly 90 per cent recycling rate.
You can expect these products to appear at the coming events over the next decade and be a part of the USOC recommendations, along with an expanded version of these plans. Because while the Olympics in 2008 had great new ways of filtration and insulation for the events, the IOC as well as the USOC is hoping to progress that vision to include dozens of other products which will help reduce waste and promote conservation.
Judging by the vast up-scale of eco-friendliness at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the IOC seems to be on track to make every gathering of the Olympic Games greener than the last...and bringing on more sponsors committed to that end will be an integral part of the mission.
Co-written by Nerissa Barry and Daniel Fielding.
[Photo: cheukiecfu/Flickr]
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