Sochi
(Russia), 9 June 2009 - In an effort to
green the Sochi Olympics in 2014, the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
the Russian Olympic organizers to help and
advise them on making the Games environmentally
friendly.
At the signing ceremony
on 5 June, Theodore Oben, Chief of the UNEP's
Outreach Section, said: "I am sure
the memorandum signed today will not only
be a written commitment, but will guarantee
that during the preparation and staging
of Sochi 2014 great strides are made in
environmental protection in Sochi and the
Krasnodar Region," said
Dmitry Chernyshenko,
President and CEO of Sochi 2014, added:
"Signing this important Memorandum
will help ensure Sochi 2014 is able to introduce
Green Standards to every level of the Games'
preparation and will ensure that the Organizing
Committee continues to work with international
environment experts to support this."
Sochi, which sits between
the balmy shores of the Black Sea and the
snow-capped Caucasus Mountains in Russia's
Krasnodar Region, is renowned for its pristine
setting.
In an effort to preserve
this natural beauty, the city in 2008 followed
UNEP's recommendation to move the bobsleigh
and luge tracks away from the Caucasus nature
reserve, which is one of the only mountain
areas in Europe that remains virtually untouched
by human activity. In changing the venue,
organizers stressed that they are committed
to creating an "environmental legacy
for the future of the region".
"We developed the
Sochi 2014 environmental strategy and this
will ensure that the ecological situation
in the Krasnodar Region is enhanced for
generations to come," stressed Chernyshenko
at the signing of the agreement.
As part of the Memorandum,
UNEP will advise the organizers on greening
the 2014 Olympics. Environmental education
schemes will also be organized, and a series
of conferences will allow international
experts to monitor and analyze key environmental
indicators before and after the Games.
The Sochi Olympic organizers
are also planning to invest US$1.75 billion
in energy conservation and renewable energy
and offset the remaining greenhouse gas
emissions from the use of electricity, air
travel and ground transportation. Other
environmental initiatives include the development
of "green belts" in the city and
reforestation of the Sochi National Park.
The organizers also
commemorated the signing of the agreement
by planting trees in several locations in
Russia as part of UNEP's Billion Trees Campaign.
According to UNEP, planting trees is a key
way to combat climate change as trees consume
vast amounts of carbon dioxide. To date,
more than four billion trees have been planted
as part of the campaign, and UNEP has set
a new target of 7 billion trees by the end
of 2009 - one for every person on the planet.
Earlier this year, Sochi
also joined UNEP's Climate Neutral Network
(CN Net), an initiative to promote global
action and involvement towards low-carbon
economies and societies. Launched a year
ago, CN Net includes countries, cities,
multinationals, NGOs and other UN agencies.
UNEP has become increasingly
active as an environmental advisor for the
greening of mass events. In partnership
with the International Olympic Committee,
UNEP has been helping to green the Olympic
Games over the last few years - most recently
the Beijing 2008 Games, for which UNEP undertook
environmental assessments before and after
the Games. UNEP has also signed an MoU with
the organizers of Vancouver 2010 in a bid
to help green the next Winter Games.
On 5 June - World Environment
Day - UNEP also joined organizers of the
Shanghai Expo to launch the Green Guidelines,
an outline for applying green ideas in preparing
for Shanghai's World Expo next year.
Notes to editors:
The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) was established during
the 27th session of UN General Assembly.
The organization aims to provide leadership
and encourage partnership in caring for
the environment by inspiring, informing,
and enabling nations and peoples to improve
their quality of life without compromising
that of future generations.
The Billion Tree Campaign
was initiated by UNEP not only in response
to the threat of climate change but also
to the major challenges of sustainable development
- from the issue of water supply to reducing
bio-diversity. According to the UNEP, planting
trees is one of the most effective tools
for combating climate change as trees consume
carbon dioxide.
For more information
on the Billion Tree Campaign please visit:
www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign
A tree-planting with Maria Kiseleva, three-time
Olympic champion in synchronized swimming,
Ilya Averbukh, Olympic Medalist in figure
skating, Theodore Oben, UNEP Head of Outreach,
and Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO
of Sochi 2014.
Further Resources
Sochi Olympics, 2010 FIFA World Cup &
Norwegian Sport Events Rally Behind the
Climate Neutral Call
Russia Moves Sochi Olympic
Sites Following UNEP Recommendations
UNEP partners with Vancouver
2010 on environmental initiatives for the
2010 Winter Games
Sochi 2014 Official Site
Climate Neutral Network
Billion Tree Campaign
