Press release - February 12, 2008
Exactly two years before the opening of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, a new spotlight is being shone on the Games’ environmental footprint. The website, GoodWoodWatch.ca, was launched today to ensure environmentally and socially responsible Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood is included in venue construction. The website will track the use of ‘good wood’ in Olympic venues in the coming months. In its bid to hold the Games, Vancouver 2010 committed that new buildings and infrastructure required for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games will be a showcase of the best in green building design and construction techniques.
The coalition of environmental groups behind the website is
calling on Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) and all Olympic
venues to use FSC-certified wood in their building construction.
The FSC is an internationally recognized standard for environmental
and socially responsible management of forests. For over two years,
environmental groups have been in contact with VANOC, regional
municipalities and venue architects to educate and advocate for the
use of wood from responsibly managed forests with mixed
results.
"Will VANOC get a gold medal for sustainability? The coming
months of construction will lay the foundation for the Games'
environmental record," said Stephanie Goodwin of Greenpeace. "The
world is watching and the time to use FSC-certified wood in the
Olympic venues is now."
The launch of GoodWoodWatch.ca marks the beginning of a survey
of FSC wood use in Olympic venues. The results, to be released in
the coming months, will give Canadians and the international
community a way to assess the footprint of the Vancouver Olympic
Games on the world's forests.
"The Canadian public deserves to know the environmental
footprint its Olympics are making on the forests of British
Columbia," said Andrea Hilland of West Coast Environmental Law.
"This website is a way to reward the leaders and expose the
laggards, in Olympic fashion."
More than ninety million hectares of forest are FSC-certified,
with the largest forest area here in Canada. Forest Stewardship
Council Certification is currently the only way to guarantee that
wood, paper and other forest products come from sustainably managed
forests.
More information on the FSC can be found at www.fsc.org. Media and public can
check GoodWoodWatch.ca
for survey results in the near future.
For more information, contact:
Stephanie Goodwin, Greenpeace 604-761-6722
Andrea Hilland, West Coast Environmental Law 604-601-2501
Lisa Matthaus, Sierra Club BC 250-888-6267
John Bergenske, Wildsight 250-427-9325