How green are the "Green Games"?

As part of our effort to see Sydney’s Environmental Guidelines taken up by Olympic sponsor companies, Greenpeace began a dialogue with Coca-Cola in 1998. We asked the company to provide environmentally safe refrigeration in its equipment during the Games and elsewhere. After a series of meetings and, finally, protests at Coca-Cola offices, the company announced that it will phase out purchasing drink coolers that use the climate-damaging refrigerant HFC by the Athens 2004 Games. Unfortunately, this policy change will not apply to Sydney’s Games and only 100 of 1800 refrigeration units will comply with the Environmental Guidelines.

As one of the world’s largest users of refrigeration chemicals and one of the best know brand names, Coke’s decision, if carried out, will have global implications for the refrigeration industry. It shows that HFCs, like CFCs must, and can be eliminated by the refrigeration and airconditioning industries.

3. New clean up technology for dioxin waste found on Olympic site

New heat treatment technology, indirect thermal desorption (ITD), is being trialed for treating 400 tonnes of dioxin contaminated waste found on the Olympics site. If successful, this technology could offer an excellent, more environmental alternative to incineration or long-term monitorable storage for toxic waste around the world.

4. Renewable energy use at the Olympic site

Solar energy, energy efficient design and Green Power use are among the environmental successes of Sydney’s Games. During the Games, the Athletes’ Village (Newington) will be the world’s largest solar suburb with solar hot water and grid-connected solar electricity. This showcases renewable energy as a real alternative to fossil-fuel energy.

5. The widespread use of PVC-free construction materials

The use of the toxic plastic PVC has been reduced in most Olympic venues and by 80 per cent in the Athletes' Village. Safer alternatives, such as clay and less toxic plastics, have been used for plumbing, cabling, stadium seating and other fixtures. Greenpeace has campaigned for a phase-out of PVC because its manufacture produces hazardous chemicals including dioxin, the most toxic chemical ever produced.

• Water recycling (grey water system) on site,
• Integrated recycling/composting waste strategy for the Games. The use of toxic packaging has been avoided and the strategy follows the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle.
• Spectators will have to travel to Olympic events by train or bus for the first time in modern Olympic history.
• Protection of rare Green and Golden Bell Frog habitat at the Olympic site.

Losses

Unfortunately, Olympic organisers have failed to deliver on Greenpeace’s original vision of a Green Olympics Games. Some of the major environmental failures include.

1. Failure to clean up Homebush Bay and the Rhodes Peninsula, just off the Olympic site