Olympics watchdog says VANOC isn't doing enough to make Games sustainable

Elianna Lev , THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER - Banning use of fossil-fuel vehicles and recycling water are some of the tough measures an international Olympics watchdog group wants to see taken in order to make the 2010 Winter Games more sustainable.

Guard Fox Watch claims the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee -known as VANOC - is not doing nearly enough to leave the lasting environmental legacy it's been touting.

However, VANOC sustainability director Ann Duffy said Sunday sustainability has been the top priority for every decision made by the committee.

The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., will exceed all others in their commitment to the environment, she insisted.

In a news release on the 2010 Games, Guard Fox Watch says it has been monitoring Olympics since 1998.

Group member Peter Berg, director of San Francisco-based Planet Drum Foundation, said VANOC is choosing to comply only with existing environmental impact restrictions, some of which date from the late 1960s.

"This is legislation and regulations that are up to 25 years old," Berg said in an interview. "Simply complying with them doesn't make them more sustainable than a gas station. I mean, a petrol station would have to (follow the same guidelines)."

Berg advocates VANOC use innovation and extreme measures to reach total sustainability, which he said would leave a lasting impact on not only the environment but the billions of people around world who will be watching the Games.

For instance, he suggested a ban on the use of all fossil-fuel vehicles from Olympic zones.

"There's no reason why all of the transportation of athletes, the general public to the venues isn't done by alternative energy public vehicles," he said. "There's no reason why that shouldn't be done, or couldn't be done. In fact, it could be fun."

Organizers should also re-evaluate the use of electricity, which will be consumed in huge amounts over the Olympics' 17 day run.

In order to be completely sustainable, the energy would have to be produced by alternative means such as solar power, and after the Games the generating equipment could be donated to the community.

"That would be a real sustainability legacy to the environment," Berg said.

Duffy noted no other local organizing committee has had a sustainability department for prior Olympic Games.

"That includes a commitment to the environment, and we've tried to apply that ethos to where we design, how and where we design our venues, how we operate them in a way that can really minimize our impacts," she said in an interview.

She said that VANOC has drawn positive reviews from the International Olympic Committee, local and national environmental organizations, non-profit groups and their partners.

Duffy did not directly respond to Berg's proposals on banning fossil-fuel cars and conserving water but added VANOC is always willing to hear what others have to say about what's been done so far.

"We're figuring it out as we go and if people have constructive criticism and it makes sense and it's something we can do in the timeline of the project, we'll for sure consider it," she said.

She admitted that while construction for the Games is unavoidable, VANOC has acted in a responsible manner.

"We are also in regular dialogue and working closely with a cluster of recognized environmental organizations and non-profit groups locally and nationally to make sure we take care of our impacts and opportunities along the way," she said.

"For example we recently relocated "plants of interest" by hand at the Cypress Mountain venue to ensure they continue to thrive."

Berg said even the International Olympics Committee wants to see the Vancouver Olympic Games go above and beyond what is expected when it comes to sustainability.

"Once these things get into the local organizing committee's hands, the IOC really has no power over them," he said. "I've talked to them ... and they've said 'all we can do is evaluate what they do and then at the end say you did a good job or you didn't.' "

He said the Turin Olympics in 2006 didn't fare well by his group's standards.

Berg is in Vancouver on Monday to discuss his group's review.

© The Canadian Press, 2007