Greening the Games

By now, we're all aware of the problems plaguing this year's Olympic Games in Vancouver. Sure, they might not have been planning ahead when deciding to host the Winter Games in a city that doesn't exactly have winter, but they were definitely thinking when it came to environmental sustainability. Each Olympic venue was designed to minimize local environmental impact while using sustainable resources to minimize waste. Here is just a sample of what they have done to make these what many are calling, “the greenest games on record”:

Cypress Mountain -- home of Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding -- The downhill runs at this site were designed within the previously existing Cypress Mountain Ski Area to avoid forest clear-cutting. In areas where site-clearing could not be avoided, the trees were chipped and used on-site for revegetation and composting purposes.

Richmond Olympic Oval -- home of Long-track Speed Skating -- While this venue was built especially for the Games, its massive 2-hectare roof was created by a unique source: trees killed by pine-beetle infestation. It is widely believed to be the largest surface ever covered in this type of damaged wood.

Vancouver Athletes’ Village – when redeveloping the waterfront areas around the athletes’ village in Vancouver, the streets were designed to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists first and foremost, while the underground parkade serves co-op/carshare vehicles and offers hookups for electric cars. After the Games, 250 suites will be converted into affordable housing units.