What makes the olympics green

When China promised to hold a "green Olympics" in , the country may have bitten off more than it could chew. The promise helped Beijing win the bid for the games, but the city struggled to keep its word [source: Wired ]. However, no one questioned the country's commitment: China implementing severe restrictions to try to clear Beijing's skies and turn it into the most environmentally friendly Olympic venue ever. It was a tall order. China now competes with the United States for the distinction of world's top air polluter [source: AFP].

Factories, old coal furnaces, unscrubbed power plants and 1, additional cars a day turn Beijing's air into a nearly impenetrable health hazard [source: AFP]. In early , studies concluded the diesel-engine-emitted air particles and ozone are five times the upper level considered safe by the World Health Organization [source: IHT]. The air is so bad that many of the world-class athletes converging on Beijing for the Olympic Games brought along face masks as part of their sports equipment.

Competing outdoors in Beijing had the potential to trigger asthma in people who have never had it [source: Wired ]. So was it possible for Beijing to make itself green for the Olympics? It all depends on your definition of green -- whether it means an environmentally friendly Olympics or an environmentally healthy city.

China pulled out all the stops to achieve both goals, but the former seemed like more of a long shot. In this article, we'll find out how China tried to fulfill its commitment to a green games.

The extreme effort to clean up one of the world's most polluted cities is a testament to the power of a one-party government: Many countries wouldn't be able to accomplish what China did in such a short period. London's bid for the games promises the greenest Olympics in history.

The international trend toward extraordinarily green events is featured prominently in plans for the games. According to the city's "Towards a One Planet Olympics" document, London will implement "zero waste and low carbon strategies, local supply networks, sustainable transport, wildlife biodiversity and an ongoing legacy for a sustainable community. Considering that China actually manufactures most of the world's alternative-energy technologies, including solar water heaters and solar photovoltaic cells, this would seem to be a natural fit [source: AFP].

But almost all of those technologies are simply exported to wealthier countries. Beijing would have to change its way of operating, and the government would have to back the effort whole heartedly. In fact, China implemented restrictions that would make most of us cry "oppression. For some time, Beijing has been under an even-odd license plate law.

Essentially, if your license plate ends in an even number, you can drive on particular days, and if your license plate ends in an odd number, the rest of the days are yours. This rule has reduced the number of cars on Beijing's roads by about 2 million, which is more than 50 percent of Beijing's traffic [source: New York T imes ]. And that's not all.

Since winning its Olympic bid, China has torn up the city to build subway lines, another effort at keeping cars in their garages. In addition, Beijing has a new fleet of electric buses and battery -powered garbage trucks. But the plans went beyond the roads. Known for its lack of environmental regulations in the business sector, China had to implement new restrictions to try to clear the air.

Power plants had to integrate scrubbing systems; coal furnaces shut down completely and the government pushed steel mills outside city limits. No one was allowed to use spray paint outdoors. But the thing that would have the biggest impact, he argues, would be a focus on degrowth and downsizing the event. But there needs to be a discussion between the IOC, National Olympics Committees and maybe the UN, which takes into consideration the current realities of the world and the climate crisis, to come to a reasonable number.

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Toyota modified a number of its existing e-Palette vehicles to enable accessible and fuss-free transport for athletes, while keeping things emission-free. Torchbearers' uniforms have been made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles. The outfits for the torchbearers at the Games have been made using recycled plastic bottles from Coca-Cola. The white and red T-shirts and trousers, which are unisex, were designed by Daisuke Obana, and bear a sash with a chequered pattern that is known in Japan as ichimatsu moyo.

The same pattern can be found in the Tokyo logos. From my perspective, unless they heavily limit the construction aspect and the overall size of the event, they will always be criticised for greenwashing. Eight ways the Tokyo Olympics are sustainable: from cardboard beds to recycled medals The Tokyo Olympics hope to be the greenest ever, beating the record set by London in Sophie Prideaux.

Here are eight sustainable initiatives taking place at the Tokyo Olympic Games… Cardboard beds Recyclable cardboard beds and mattresses for athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo Games.

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