2010 – AWARE Releases Olympic Position Statement

The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) has serious concerns about the negative environmental impacts of the Olympic Games. These include: loss of biodiversity; huge energy & water demands; increased greenhouse gas emissions & waste and a lack of institutional accountability. Locally, Whistler’s valuable natural assets have been irreversibly damaged, moving us AWAY from our goal of becoming a sustainable community. AWARE would like to provide warnings & solutions to the problems experienced in Whistler, to the IOC and future host cities, because THESE GAMES ARE NOT GREEN!

For detailed information on AWARE and the Olympics go to our media pack here.

For summary information of the above get our information handout here.

To see images related to the Olympic Games  - click on this link.

AWARE’S Work Pre-2010

AWARE neither supports or rejects the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Our mission is to advocate for the most sustainable games ever held in Olympics history.

AWARE has been active on a number of Olympic Bid Committee working groups for: housing, transportation, the Callaghan Valley and environmental working groups. We hope that our input will have contributed to the “greenest” games ever held in the history of the Olympics.

Sustainable Development
The bid committee and their partners have stated that these games are to be a leading example of sustainable development. Unfortunately the bid committee has failed to instill the concept of sustainable practices into their plans at the very top level. Concepts in the bid guidelines such as “preventing pollution” are somewhat reassuring but making sustainable development real takes strong principles to inform their planning; Principles that can be referred back to again and again… a code to be guided by. In Whistler we have begun using principles to guide us based on irrefutable scientific realities known as the Natural Step System Conditions. While it is true that policies and guidelines have been described by the bid committee which will moderate the considerable environmental impact of the games, sadly the bid committee’s current principles can only be described as weak at best.

Legacies
After studying the latest proposals for the “Lasting Legacies” we have concluded they do not contain any environmental legacy whatsoever. Whistler is a community that cherishes our natural surroundings and healthy environment and we are disappointed that there is no environmental legacy concluded or even being considered.

The legacies that have been proposed are mostly the development of new buildings and structures: An ice rink, Olympic Villages, bob luge tracks, ski jumps, athlete centres and a land bank for yet more buildings. There are also the usual collection of intangibles such as community pride and spirit, partnership opportunities, exposure and so on – but absolutely nothing for our natural environment here in Whistler.

New buildings and developments are not an environmental legacy, they are just more development. Should the Olympic bid prove successful. AWARE will be proposing an environmental legacy for our natural environment. We urge Municipal Council, the Olympic Bid Committee, and the Federal and Provincial Governments to seriously consider a legacy designed to maintain what is most precious to our community.