SUSTAINABLE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES?

The Olympic Games are a spectacular event, but they also pose significant environmental challenges. Paris 2024 is setting new sustainability standards for global sporting events by doing more with less. Let's look at the good and not-so-great aspects:. Let's look at the good and not-so-great aspects:

The Good:

Eco-friendly Infrastructure: The Paris 2024 Olympics have focused on using existing venues when possible, and new ones have been built with low-carbon concrete and recycled materials. For instance, thousands of seats were made of recycled plastic. 95% of Olympic venues are facilities that either already exist or have been temporarily assembled and will be dismantled for future reuse after the Games. This represents a significant reduction in carbon emissions compared to previous games.

Podiums are made in France from French wood and 100% recycled plastic

The athlete village will transform into affordable housing after the games.

Equipment: Three-quarters of sports equipment is rented or provided by sports federations.

Second-life: All furniture and temporary structures approved for the Games must have a contractually guaranteed second life, ensuring they won't end up in landfills.

Food: The food served aims for a 50% reduction in emissions compared to the average meal by incorporating more plant-based, locally sourced options. Single-use plastics have been reduced by 50% in catering and 100% of catering equipment and infrastructure will be reused after the Games. Free drinking water points are available, and spectators are allowed to bring reusable bottles into the venues – an exception to French regulations.

Renewable Energy: Many of the venues are powered by renewable energy sources from wind and solar, reducing the overall carbon footprint.

Public Transportation: All competition venues are accessible by public transportation, reducing the number of vehicles on the streets. Additionally, there are 260 miles of cycle lanes.

The Not-So-Great:

Waste Generation: Despite efforts to manage waste, the sheer volume of visitors and events leads inevitably to a significant amount of waste.

Carbon Footprint of Travel: The international nature of the games means a lot of long-haul flights, contributing to carbon emissions.

Measures: it's still very difficult to measure the true impact of such large events on the environment.

Coral Reef Damage: Images from competitions happening in Tahiti (9,765 miles from Paris) are dreamy, but local biodiversity is impacted. Coral reefs have been damaged by the construction of judges' towers.

Plastic bottles: According to French newspaper Le Monde, 40% of drinks were still served in single-use plastic bottles.

Sponsors: Let's not forget that the sponsors for the Games are also major pollutors on this Planet: Coca Cola, the world’s biggest producer of branded plastic waste. Toyota, who was condemned to a $180-million fine for consistently violating the Clean Air Act. Those are only 2 examples.

La Seine, despite the $2.2 billion spent on infrastructure to clean up the long-polluted river, the water quality of La Seine is still very questionable.

Overall, while there are commendable efforts towards sustainability, there’s still room for improvement. However, sustainability is a constantly evolving process of learning from the past to improve for the future. So, let's appreciate the efforts and enjoy the Games!