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Overview
From the beginning, BASOC made a commitment to place environmental excellence at the center of its bid and to demonstrate that the Olympic Games can have a lasting, positive environmental impact on a region. Environmental management is at the core of the management philosophy and operations plan for the Olympic Games. The position of Chief Environmental Officer (CEnO) is part of the core management team together with the CEO, CFO and COO. Community participation will be extensive, with direct input into the Olympic Games through The Sustainability Council which will be comprised of the CEO and CEnO, together with representatives of labor, industry, environmental and social NGOs, and the community.
Theme Team
BASOC assembled a team of environmentalists, planners and leading experts on water management, energy use and environmentally sensitive master planning, including theme leader Mark Jordan, Chairman of the Board of Waterkeepers of Northern California; Malcolm Lewis, current member and past chair of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC); the Rocky Mountain Institute; one of the leading EMS designers in the United States and a U.S. representative in the drafting of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard, Edward L. Quevedo; and Jacinta McCann, of EDAW, a key member of the environmentally award-winning design team for the Sydney Olympic Village.
What makes this bid a model of environmental responsibility?
- The Environmental Management System (EMS) for the 2012 Olympic Games will be the most comprehensive (EMS) of any large sporting event ever staged (building on and surpassing the considerable achievements of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games).
- The EMS will incorporate all requirements of the ISO 14001 Standard, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Platinum Level Guidelines (the most stringent environmental construction and development standard in the United States), and elements of Agenda 21 (the international model for Sustainable Development addressing social, cultural, and economic aspects of Sustainability). These are best-practices standards developed by consensus-based international and national expert bodies. The EMS will benefit from the continuing evolution of these standards, keeping the EMS on the cutting edge of Sustainable Development.
- Among the potential Environmental issues addressed by the EMS are: greenhouse gasses, ozone depleting substances, waste minimization, materials consumption, energy conservation, water conservation, biodiversity and cultural heritage preservation, air, water and soil quality, and restoration.
- · We have made the unprecedented commitment to register the entirety of the 2012 Olympic Games to the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management Standard (EMS), including the commitment to undergo and pass third party and community-based audits, and publish the results on our website.
- The Olympic Village is designed as a showcase for environmentally sound, high-density infill housing to help address air pollution, traffic congestion, water and energy use. In fact, it is being designed to be a net contributor to the energy grid on an annualized basis and a net-zero consumer of water.
- Interest in organic food and concern about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in foods is growing. In recognition of these facts, BASOC has committed to provide, at all venues and facilities for the 2012 Olympic Games, an organic food option and a line of organic food and drink for the attending public and athletes.
- Suppliers and vendors will be provided with specific technical training to support environmental protection and performance plans within their businesses and for the goods and services they will provide to the 2012 Olympic Games.
For more information on Environmental Protection:
Contact Mark Jordan at 650-208-4716 or mpjordan@ix.netcom.com.
For media inquiries, please contact Tony Winnicker, BASOC, 650-856-2234 or 415-305-5617/ winnicker@yahoo.com or Kim Braun, Ketchum Communications, 415-984-2282/ kim.braun@ketchum.com.
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