Below lies another linky catchup post. I’m going to get more current in the future, I swear. (Current in the future? Is that even possible?)
First, your Olympics roundup:
Beijing 2008: Amid consistent concerns over air pollution, some 20 countries plan to hold their pre-Olympic training camps in Japan instead of China, while another 15 teams will set up camp in in South Korea. U.S. athletes may wear masks while training. But the country is still working toward its goal of a breathable Olympics: officials have unveiled plans to cut sulfur dioxide and other pollutants, and will cut traffic in half during the Games by only letting cars drive at certain times. And check out the fancy-shmancy green-built soccer stadium! Officials are having to divert water from the Yellow River to ensure H2O supplies will be ample, but will also modify the weather so it won’t rain on the Olympic parade. Oh, and did you hear that we might be competing?
In other Olympic news, the David Suzuki Foundation says the Vancouver 2010 Olympics could be carbon neutral (through the use of carbon offsets, of course). Without offsets, that Games is estimated to create some 362,000 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Looking ahead to London 2012: Green Party members warn that air pollution could be a problem there too. Come on, Picky McPickersons! Can’t the athletes just breathe less deeply?
On to more sports tidbits:
Last week’s X Games incorporated green elements.
Meet Frode Andresen, Norwegian skier, environmental campaigner, and star in one of the world’s most who-ever-came-up-with-that? sports: the biathlon.
Anchorage, Alaska, may clear 23 acres of forest to make room for a nine-hole golf course — for low-income kids. How dare they keep me from making a snap judgment?
An Encinitas, Calif., woman will open an eco-friendly surf school, with soybean-foam boards, bamboo towels, and organic surf wax. (And none too soon!)
New York City officials will review the safety of synthetic turf, about which there’s been quite an uproar in certain circles.
The University of North Carolina Tar Heels have a bus driver who not only drives them to nearby games, but drives to meet them at nearly every game that they fly to. Efficient!
And a few things you may have missed when Grist covered them:
A National Football League star goes meatless — kind of. The Iditarod was forced to change its starting point. And the newest Air Jordan boosted its sustainable cred.
And last but certainly not least: Enjoy the Super Bowl (and the snacks)!
