The Livable Blog

Strange math from the David Suzuki Foundation. They state that 2010 "will likely be remembered as among the greenest and most climate-friendly Olympics held so far." But the previous winter games included a pledge not to expand roadways for the games - so 2010 is a significant step backwards.

Greenest Games?

Or Freeway Olympics?

The scorecard lamented that the 2010 Olympics "will not leave the region with a significant legacy in sustainable transportation," choosing $600 million in upgrades to the Sea to Sky Highway instead of investing in sustainable transportation between Vancouver and Whistler such as through expanded use of the existing rail line.

"The new highway will encourage more vehicle traffic after the Games, exacerbate urban sprawl, and result in increased greenhouse gas emissions from transportation for the region...."

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Vancouver+Olympics+earn+bronze+medal+climate+protection+efforts/2517316/story.html

I think that 2010 will be remembered as the greenwash games, where much of the spending was focused on increasing the most polluting forms of transportation. The money has been spent making it more convenient to drive (between $600 million and $1 billion for the Sea-to-Sky highway widening) and to fly (huge airport expansion and rapid transit to the airport).

The DSF report does critique one aspect of the Olympic green spin, criticizing the "20 hydrogen buses . . . purchased at a cost of $90 million. This money might have been better spent on a greater number of trolley buses."
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/climate/Climate_Scorecard_for_the_2010_Vancouver_Olympics.pdf

The 2010 games do not deserve a bronze, they deserve to be thrown out of the competition for cheating and green doping.

The question is if people will say NO to continuing with the freeway and airport expansion binge after the circus leaves town, leaving a huge financial mess left behind. The Olympics have blown a $6 billion dollar hole in our public purse, but Gateway is set to blow another multi-billion dollar hole in our finances. The proposed South Fraser Freeway alone could take another $2 billion away from transit, energy efficiency, housing, education, health care, arts funding, and other public priorities.

See www.gatewaysucks.org/freeway-olympics for information on how to get involved in scrubbing off the Olympic greenwash and stopping the freeway expansion madness. Hope to see you Fri. Feb. 12 at 3pm. (and stay tuned for information about the Feb 9 action in Delta)