The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good

1. Smart site selection2. Environmental assessment reviews3. Venue design and green buildings4. Environmental management plans5. Ongoing monitoring and compliance6. Restoration

VANOC’s Site Development Plan

Environmental Assessment recommended using an old ski run on Blackcomb Mountain in order to avoid unnecessary clear-cutting.

Whistler Sliding Center

Construction began complying to LEED standards

Green-minded Features: ECO-Chill heat-recycling system Ammonia-fuelled cooling system Painted white 600 white blinds

The Bad

Clear-Cutting Gravel and Sand Mining Increased CO2 Emissions

Environmental Impacts

Clear-cuttingBetween 89 and 126

thousand trees were taken down to clear space for the Whistler Olympic Centre alone

260 Hectares of prime bear habitat destroyed

Unprecedented # of black bears hit by cars in 2007

Bear/human interactions on the rise

Grizzly Bear

Alligator Lizard

Red-Legged Frog

Spotted Owl

Other Creatures at Risk due to Olympic Development

Concrete – 80% gravel and sand Whistler Sliding Center – 350,000

tonnes concreteAsphalt – 90% gravel and sandAirport transit way – requires

400,000 tonnes gravel and sand

Gravel and sand mining

Fraser River Sand BarsFraser River – endangered

river since ’93

Scalping of sand bars (and the construction of roads that goes along with it) resulted in the death of millions of young salmon in 2006

70-93% drop in local salmon stocks

documented by the David Suzuki Foundation since ‘90

VANOC’s strategy is to be Carbon neutral

define their carbon footprint, minimize emissions and offset the unavoidable

Use of generators during generators has been limited to 10% of previous Games’ emissions

No parking at most venues Admission tickets will include mass

transit 50% of VANOC’s fleet of 96 vehicles

are hybrids or fuel-efficient models

Increased CO2 emissions

Still…Olympic Winter Games use considerable energy to heat building, make snow, freeze ice sheets and sliding tracks, run power equipment and transport people and goods. These actions all generate greenhouse gas emissions.

And… VANOC’s plan only takes into consideration their emissions, what about the expected 250,000 visitors and increased activity for years to come?

The Ugly

“There is an infrastructure being created for 2010 that will result in the further destruction of mountains and valleys that are traditionally Salish, St’at’ime, and Squamish territory. They are creating infrastructure to attract corporate businesses and large real estate operations. The Olympics have brought a destruction of the natural world and a dehumanization of the people.”

Aboriginal Protest

Developments on Native-claimed Lands…

Sun Peaks $294 Million, Melvin Creek $530,000,000, Mt. Cheam, Merritt, Valemount, Revelstoke, Blue River, Invermere $450,000,000, Kelowna, Big White and Crystal Mountain $100,000,000

Sea-to-Sky Highway ProtestResidents of Eagleridge Bluffs protested against the expansion of the Sea-to-Sky Highway; the only transit link from Vancouver to Whistler.The government opted to shave $40 million off of the $600 million price tag of the project by opting not to tunnel (which would have avoided several vulnerable ecosystems).

The Good

Site Selection Plans

Wind Technology

Sun Technology

Olympic Facilities

Pushing Vancouver to Become Greener

2008 Beijing Olympic Games:

Based on protecting natural reserves and local wildlife

Environmental Impact Assessments

Site Selection

Windmill outside of Beijing powered the Olympic Green

Wind farm inside Beijing was built and provided 20% of the Olympic facilities power

Provide 100 000 houses with energy

Wind Technology

Showers in Olympic Village

Lighting for Olympic lawn, road lamps and lights in public washrooms

85% of all lights for Olympic Venues

Sun Technology

New solar technology

Takes sun’s energy and produces both heat and electricity from the same surface area

Maximizes CO2 displacement

LEED standards

Solar Wall PV/Thermal Hybrid System

National Aquatic Centre Thermal Layer on outside Outer walls and roof collect/recycle up to 140 000 tons of water per year

Olympic Facilities

The Bad

Air Pollution Index Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, PM10,

Carbon Monoxide, Ozone

Air Pollution/Blue Sky Days

Restricted coal usage

Closed down 2 chemical plants

Vehicle restrictions

Solutions

Terminal 3, airport

Additional 7 subway lines, 70 subway stops

Train system to attach Beijing to sister city Tianjin

Hybrid Buses, running on biodiesel

Transit Expansions

The Ugly

29000 Fireworks emitted

Opening Ceremonies

Looking Forward.....

Combating climate change Reducing waste Enhancing biodiversity Promoting inclusion Encouraging healthy living

Goals

The End.