VANOC announces additional “Sustainability Star” winners

June 3, 2009

VANCOUVER – Six more bright lights have been added to the Sustainability Star program, created by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) to recognize the innovative efforts Vancouver 2010 and its many partners and sponsors are taking to be sustainable.

The Sustainability Star is designed to draw attention to Games-related sustainability innovations — which are environmental, economic and social in nature — and can be used on Games-related products as well as in advertising. The program, which will run until March 31, 2010, will put these innovations in the international spotlight as Vancouver and Whistler welcome the world in 2010. Nine stars were previously announced in March.

These six new stars were chosen by a 10-person jury. They are: Coca-Cola’s program to divert waste from landfills; BC Hydro’s Save like a Champion program; the Province of British Columbia’s ActNow BC program; as well as VANOC’s sustainability management and reporting system, barrier-free guidelines and Buy Smart program.

“We are constantly amazed by the ingenuity and commitment our sponsors and partners have shown towards promoting sustainability at the 2010 Winter Games,” said Ann Duffy, VANOC’s corporate sustainability officer. “These projects are all new or scaled up for the Games or Host Region and will play an important role in the legacies left for generations to come. They also demonstrate how sustainability can be woven into any aspect of an organization and can drive business and social innovations.”

Coca-Cola’s waste diversion program — a significant commitment of its kind by a worldwide partner for the Games — will ensure a minimum of 95 per cent of its waste materials is diverted from landfills during the 2010 Winter Games. Recyclables, including shrink wrap and cardboard trays, will be returned to a recycling centre in Richmond, British Columbia, and 100 per cent of the plastic, single-serve beverage bottles consumed in Games’ venues will be collected and recycled.

BC Hydro’s outreach team is touring the province this year to show British Columbians how they can contribute to a green Games legacy. As part of its Save like a Champion program, BC Hydro is challenging 210,000 people to join Team Power Smart by 2010, to set and achieve a 10 per cent conservation target. If this challenge is met, the electricity saved would be equivalent to the amount of electricity required to power 27 days of competition at the 2010 Winter Games — this means that British Columbians can power the Games through conservation.

ActNow BC is an integrated provincial health promotion strategy encouraging people to eat healthier foods and be more physically active, stop smoking and make healthy choices during pregnancy. The Province of British Columbia’s goal is to be the healthiest jurisdiction to host an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

VANOC’s sustainability management and reporting system provides a road map to help the Organizing Committee implement its six sustainability performance objectives (accountability, environmental stewardship, social inclusion, Aboriginal participation, economic benefits and sport for sustainable living) as it moves through the pre-Games, Game time and post-Games phases.

The Buy Smart program, run by VANOC and the Province of British Columbia’s 2010 Commerce Centre, uses the purchasing power of the Games to support ethical sourcing and enhance the social, environmental and economic performance of the Games and its supply chain.

VANOC’s barrier-free guidelines support social inclusion both at Games time and post-Games. By increasing the accessibility of the venues and Villages, the Games region is made more attractive to visitors, athletes, recreationists, residents and workers.

In order to be awarded a Sustainability Star, an innovation must demonstrate two or more sustainability features (social, economic and/or environmental); be directly linked to the 2010 Winter Games; produce a measurable outcome; and be new to the Vancouver 2010 Games region or the Games in general, or significantly scaled up through the 2010 Winter Games. Unique collaborations may also be considered.

For an image (JPEG) of the Sustainability Star and contact information for Sustainability Star recipients, please e-mail VANOC Communications at mediarelations@vancouver2010.com.

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