Environmental Impact of Salt Lake Olympics

In “Greenest Games Ever? Not!” (Opinion, Feb. 3), Martin Lee pronounced a failing grade for the environmental efforts of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games. In 1994, “environment” joined “sport” and “culture” as the third principle of Olympism. As the first city to win the Games since, Salt Lake has been joined by over 100 partner organizations in pursuit of three major goals: zero waste, zero emissions and urban forestry advocacy.

Through recycling and composting, the SLOC will recover between 90% to 95% of the solid waste produced at the Games. Recently certified “climate neutral” by the Climate Neutral Network, the SLOC has reduced the Games’ air emissions to less than zero by quantifying all emissions and then offsetting them through retirement of donated emission-reduction credits. The SLOC’s urban forestry programs have seen 100,000 trees planted in Utah, plus over 18 million trees worldwide. Our education programs leveraged the public’s interest to promote environmental stewardship.

An environmental audit by [engineering and construction firm] CH2MHill confirmed that the SLOC had achieved its goals, making the Winter Games of 2002 “the greenest games ever,” a testament to environmentally responsible event management and a legacy for the future.

Diane L. Conrad Gleason

Director, Environment Program

Salt Lake Organizing Committee

for the Winter Olympics of 2002