The Sustainable 2012 Olympics

As mentioned in my previous blog posts, the 2012 Olympics have gone sustainable. From uniforms to the venues, the Olympic Committee has worked hard to use green and sustainable practices throughout the planning process.

Fair Trade: The Olympics have gone fair trade. From wine to meal plans, the Olympic committee has made this the most sustainable Olympics yet, and fair trade food choice are part of their plan. Here is the definition for anyone who is unfamiliar with fair trade:

Definition: Fairtrade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine,fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers, and gold.

According to the Fair Trade Foundation, a plan was made in 2009 to include fair trade bananas, tea, coffee, sugar, and chocolate in the 14 million meals that will be served by the Olympic caterers. To the London-citizens, having fair trade food at this event is huge, considering that they were made a Fair Trade Certified City in 2008.

The wine industry is also participating in the IOC (International Olympic Committee)’s fair trade motions. They will sell fair trade wine in recyclable bottles, highlighting the sustainability efforts of Brazil and South Africa with themed wines.

Uniforms: The United States is also taking a sustainable direction with their uniforms. Even though there was some drama with having the opening and closing ceremony US outfits in China instead of the US, the Track and Field uniform designers have avoided controversy by taking a green direction. With Nike’s new “Pro TurboSpeed” collection, Track and Field athletes have the luxury of skin-tight uniforms that eliminate chafing and bulk. These uniforms “comprise 82 percent recycled polyester fabric—the equivalent of 13 recycled plastic bottles per suit.” This is a fantastic break-through in the evolution of sustainable and recyclable efforts.

Stay tuned for the social media post later this week. Go team USA!