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Torino 2006 Olympics, the Green Olympics
The Torino 2006 Olympics and Paralympics will be the most environmentally friendly major sporting events ever held. "The Turin 2006 Winter Olympics will be the first major European sports event that can rightfully call itself 'green'," said Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas on 12 January 2006.
Environmental topics such as energy use, transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, waste management and landscape preservation are at the forefront of the Torino Winter Olympics Organizing Committee's (TOROC) approach to these Games. The goal of the Organizing Committee for the Torino 2006 Olympics is to protect the environment from being permanently changed by the Olympic Games.
Both events will achieve their environmental goals by adhering to EU voluntary environmental tools, in particular the EU eco-management and audit system (EMAS) and the European eco-label.
The Olympic Organizing Committee has promoted the European Eco-Label scheme which is a voluntary program to encourage businesses to market more environmentally friendly products. These products are identified by a flower logo. Twelve hotels in Torino and surrounding areas have been granted the flower label. After the close of the Olympic Games the main media village will be turned into a students residence.
Approximately 38% of all products purchased by the Olympic Organizing Committee of the Torino 2006 Olympic Games will comply with the EU environmental standards.
The Torino 2006 Olympic Games organizing committee adopted the EU voluntary environmental tools and standards. These include:
• Protecting the health and safety of workers, staff and local inhabitants
• The management of waste
• The rational use of energy
• The management of water
• The preservation of the landscape
• Sustainable architecture
• Mitigation and compensation measures when environmental damage is unavoidable
• Control of greenhouse gas emissions
• Sustainable use of the facilities after the Games
The main Olympic Village at the Torino 2006 Olympics is an example of sustainable architecture. The village has solar panels, south-oriented glass surfaces, low energy light bulbs and uses rain water in landscaping.
It may not be possible to avoid having any impact on the environment: the ski jumps will be built and will remain after the Olympics, more cars and buses will be used in the pristine alpine villages and adding hundreds of thousands of spectators, athletes and media is bound to have an impact. But it is a start. At least the organizers of the Torino 2006 Olympic Games are taking the environmental impact of the Games into consideration and they are trying to minimize that impact.
Posted by Jackie on January 31, 2006
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