The Winter Olympics have gotten off to a good start with a spectacular opening ceremony. But something you may not know, is how green the Vancouver Games are. First lets start with the infamous gold, silver, and bronze medals. This is the first year that the 1,000+ medals will include recovered metals. The recoverd metals were taken from discarded circuit boards of electronic waste. Although the recycled metals in the medals are in small proportion, they are a starting point for the global games.
The Richmond Olympic Oval Arena, used for the skating events, is the main focus of the games and was constructed specifically as a green initiative for the games. It was constructed from wood that was salvaged from pine-beetle infestations. The arena is also structured for rain-water harvesting, waste-heat recovery, and a roof shaped like a wave. Rainwater falling off the roof is collected in a pond for irrigation and the facility's toilets. The refrigeration plant used to keep the ice at the perfect temperature, uses a waste-heat recovery system to heat the areas of the facility that are used for multiple sports and exercise after the Olympic games.
The fifteen architecture firms that built the magnificent facility recently received awards for excellence in green building practices from the GLOBE Foundation and the World Green Building Council. This is yet another step towards major events and facilities becoming more sustainable and giving more than just entertainment back to the World.
Photo courtesy of VancouverSun.com
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