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torino 2006
| The Eco-Sustainability of the Olympic Games
is Presented in Brussels |
Jan 12 2006
These will be the first certified "Green"- Olympic Games in Europe.
The EU Environment Commissioner congratulates TOROC
(BRUSSELS, JANUARY 12TH, 2006) – The XX Olympic Winter Games and the IX
Paralympic Winter Games of Torino 2006 were the first important sports
events compatible with the environment ever organised in Europe. Both of
the events achieved this objective by applying, in the best possible way,
the ecological tools provided by the European Union, specifically, the
Community system for the control and management of the environment – the
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)- and the European Eco-
Classification system.
The results were presented today, in a meeting with the Press held at the
European Commission Headquarters in Brussels, by TOROC President
Valentino Castellani, the president of the Piemonte Region Mercedes
Bresso and Olympic Cross-Country Skiing champion and current CONI vice
president Manuela Di Centa. Also at the meeting was the European Union
Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, who congratulated TOROC for the
commitment shown in its rigorous application of these instruments and of
Community regulations in the design and construction of the works at the
Olympic venues.
“Sports events - declared European Commissioner Mr.Dimas - have a
significant and long-lasting impact on the environment. The preparation
of the Olympic Winter Games of Torino shows that organisations can use
effectively the guidelines and the tools provided by the European Union
for safeguarding the environment, in order to attenuate the environmental
impact and, through important sports events, make citizens more aware of
the importance of sustainable development. I hope the experience of
Torino will serve as a stimulus for the organisers of sports events in
the future”.
“TOROC collaborated with the European Commission right from the start -
underlined TOROC President Castellani - We understood that the Community
instruments for safeguarding the environment, the EMAS system and the
European eco-classification system, were the most suitable to deal with
the complex environmental issues connected to the Olympic Games. We
decided to adopt them to help us reach the objectives that we had set for
environmental sustainability. All this, thanks also to the support of the
Commission, that collaborated closely with us in all the organisational
phase of the Olympic Games”.
“The success of a big sports event - said Piemonte Region President Mrs.
Bresso - is measured by its capacity to generate positive effects over a
medium and long period for the territory that hosts it. When we organised
the Olympic Games of Torino 2006, we thought first of all, that we had to
leave a long-lasting legacy of development and sustainability for the
citizens and for the territory. The Torino 2006 projects that we
supported and funded are meant to develop permanent practices of
energy-savings and CO2 control, in line with the Kyoto Protocol. The
recognition of the European Commission confirms the quality of our
approach and shows how regional policies can become good practices also
at an international level".
Sports events like the Olympic Games require years of work on a vast
scale in terms of infrastructures, facilities and buildings. These works
draw massively on natural resources like water, air and the land, and
they leave behind them more or less visible effects on the environment of
the region involved. This is why TOROC decided to adopt a long-term
approach to the Olympic Games, considering right from the start the
regulations and the tools provided by the European Union to safeguard the
environment.
The Community System of environment control and management (EMAS) helps
the agencies and organisations to assess, classify and improve their
respective performances in terms of environmental protection. Conforming
to this system, TOROC was the first to obtain EMAS registration for the
design and construction of the 29 sites that will host the Olympic Winter
Games, including the practice sites and the Olympic Village.
Subsequently, also the eight mountain towns that are hosting the Games
received their EMAS registration.
At the request of the European Commission, TOROC drafted a guide document
for the application of the EMAS system to the sports events, so that
other big sports events in the future can take advantage of this
experience. The European Commission supported TOROC with a financing of
25,000 euro for the preparation of this document.
TOROC also promoted the European System of Eco-classification, an
optional programme set up to induce companies to market
environment-friendly products, and at the same time, to help consumers to
easily recognise these products, through the “floral” logo. This logo,
symbol of environmental friendliness, was assigned to 12 hotels in the
Region.
Finally, TOROC promoted the "Green" Provisioning Policy: 38% of all the
products acquired by TOROC comply with environment safeguarding criteria,
such as the European “Eco-label” criteria. The sponsors, too, were
invited to abide by the principles and the policies of environmental
protection.
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