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I’ve recently come across a few articles about the green initiative of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and I have to admit I’m pleasantly pleased with their sustainable efforts. I can’t say that I’ve been paying 100% attention to the games this year, but this is the first I’ve heard about it. I wish that the media would take a time out to report on some of the good the city has been doing, rather than point out what has gone wrong thus far. The sustainable initiative was actually instituted by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) back in 1992, to encourage active participation in sustainable development. Only in the last 10 years has it started to be wholly embraced by the host cities, and this year Vancouver has gone above and beyond in doing their part. Although I am listing a brief synopsis of their efforts, this list is by no way complete, yet still very impressive…

• The pledge from Vancouver to convene a carbon-neutral event
• Utilization of existing facility buildings wherever possible, and designing the new facilities for realistic and simple conversion for post-game reuse
• Planning a dense village design to promote walk ability rather than individual transportation
• Construction of LEED Platinum and Gold certified buildings in the village
• Implementation of urban agriculture and green roofs
• The roof structure of the Oval Building was built from trees that were killed by pine beetles – great reclamation, plus the elimination of carbon dioxide and methane gasses from the potential rotting wood
• Recovery of waste heat from melting ice and sewer systems to produce space heating and cooling
• Reclamation of building and vehicle graphics – approximately 200,000 square feet of material will be diverted from landfills and be recycled into new flooring product
• Reuse of the village after the games as affordable housing for the local workforce

The impact of some of these efforts won’t be able to be measured for a few years to come, but Vancouver has a plan to actively monitor and publish their results. I think they’ve done an excellent job in raising both awareness and the bar for future cities to come. It’s amazing to me how far this world has come with sustainability in the past 10 years; where being green just used to mean planting trees and recycling, and now is seen as the consideration for global social, economic and environmental impact. Whether or not Canada wins the gold for hockey, the city of Vancouver gets the GREEN … I mean gold medal in my book.

Submitted by: Suzanne Mayberry
Photo from: Vancouver Sun, Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

Comments on “Olympic Green”

Lee said on March 05, 2010

Suzanne,

Great article! I received an e-mail awhile back from one of our Mannington reps that stated Mannington would be using large format graphics from the Olympics as content for their Premium Tile. I am curious as to what other flooring manufacturers are taking advantage of the graphics, but according to a press release on the Mannington website, they are using 200,000 sq. ft. of material, so it may just be Mannington!

jill mendoza said on February 25, 2010

Yes, it is great to hear and read about sustainable practices cities are implementing for venues that draw attention and interest from all corners of the globe. There has also been much discussion that the London 2012 Olympic will be even “greener”. For example they are plan to have Hydrogen taxi cabs to serve London by 2012 Olympic Games.

A taxi cab that runs on the latest hydrogen fuel cell technology is being developed with the aim of being ready for full road trials in time for the 2012 Olympics. The car looks and drives just like a standard London black cab – but underneath the bonnet is some cutting-edge technology by sports carmaker Lotus.

The fuel cell taxi can hit a top speed of 81mph, go from 0-60mph in 14 seconds and has a range of more than 250 miles on a full tank of hydrogen. Like electric vehicles, the new taxi does not produce any emissions from its tailpipe but, unlike battery-electric cars, it will only take a few minutes to fill up from empty.

I wonder if our own Indy Super Bowl 2012 Planning Committee will be implementing sustainability strategies? What a great opportunity to advance our city’s “green” awareness!

Ashley H. said on February 23, 2010

This was a nice article. I this the fisrt time that I have heard of this. It was nice to read that Vancouver also thought about what they would do with the area after the games were over.I do agree that Vancouver has set the bar for other cities.

Melanie said on February 19, 2010

Thanks for shedding light on Vancouver’s (and the Olympic’s) GREEN story. As you mentioned, I had not heard any media coverage about the cities GREEN efforts. I hope that future host cities will continue to find ways to be GREEN.

Donna said on February 19, 2010

Kudos to the city of Vancouver! I will make sure to check their website to check their progress results. Do you have the website address?

Love the idea that they have “repurposed” thier empty structures to create new spaces for the games that will continue thier life as new homes for the lower income workforce. A little common sense goes a long way….

Amanda said on February 18, 2010

Great article Suzanne! I hadn’t heard about any of this, but I am not surprised that they are pursuing it. What a wonderful thing! It would be great if everyone and every project thought like this or was capable of going in that direction.

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