Pat Schmitt, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sports and Environment Commission said that if Beijing wants to deliver a “Green Olympics” in 2008, it should take lessons from Sydney’s 2000 Games.
Speaking at the IOC Seminar on Sport and Environment Schmitt said, “first of all, make specific environmental commitments as part of the development plans well before design plans to be finalized and construction begins”.
“Secondly” said Schmitt, “environmental guidelines must be clear and specific, benchmarks are non-negotiable, measurable and backed up by law.
“Thirdly, Olympic organizers and developers must be required to collect and report information on all environmental aspects of their projects and make this information publicly available. And independent auditing of all environmental information is essential to ensure credibility”.
Schmitt added that Olympic organizers must ensure that the best and most cost-effective environmental systems and material are used project-wide.
He said that Beijing should seek out and engage those innovative and creative experts and companies interested in the environment.
“Finally, high level and consistent consultation with the community, environmental and social groups is essential and must be part of the project from the beginning”, said Schmitt.
