Vancouver (pps) In his role as a member of the commission “Sport and Environment” of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL), Josef Fendt from Berchtesgaden, will participate in the 8th World Conference on “Sport and the Environment” in Vancouver, Canada, beginning Monday, March 30, 2009. The conference with its main theme „Innovation and Inspiration - Harnessing the Power of Sport for Change” will be held in the future Olympic city and is organized jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC), in close partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). One of the highlights of the conference will be the presentation of the first IOC Award for Sport and the Environment.
The Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver are intended to be the most sustainable Games in Olympic history. Not only will they be held in one of the regions with the greatest number of different species worldwide, but, for the first time, the IOC is also asking the host country to provide a sustainability report.
50% of sports venues already exist, and all new buildings are constructed in compliance with innovative and environmentally-friendly criteria. Outside facilities were selected particularly avoiding vicinity to watercourses, old trees and other sensitive habitats. In addition to green roofs, for example at the media center, the hosts and VANOC have agreed on a “zero-waste policy”. 85 percent of the solid waste will be saved by avoiding producing it, but also by reusing, recycling and using waste-to-energy methods.
