Next month’s Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, have been billed as the “Green Games,” but Greenpeace says Olympic organizers deserve only a bronze medal for their efforts to make the games eco-friendly. Organizers pledged to make this Olympics the greenest ever, and Greenpeace acknowledges that they have. The group praised the use of renewable power; sewage and water recycling systems; the low-emission Olympic torch; the construction of solar-powered, eco-friendly housing for athletes; and efforts to protect a rare frog that lives near the edge of the Olympic site. But Greenpeace criticized organizers for using ozone-depleting chemicals in air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, PVC plastics in the construction of temporary buildings, and gasoline-powered cars for transporting VIPs. Still, enviros say these games will likely be greener than upcoming Olympics in Salt Lake City and Athens.
