It seems as though February has passed my by without so much as a howdi doodi, and I was appalled to see just how long it has been since my last post.I have not been on holiday. I was a little ill, but nothing too serious. I have just been stupidly busy.
So there you go. Guilt removed.
I have been doing something instead of blogging though, and given that it only happens once every four years, I have excused myself from other duties to partake in the goggle box.
The Winter Olympics. As an avid snowboarder, this is bliss. Halfpipe (well done Torah), Boarder cross (haha, no slip ups with badly timed grabs this year eh?) and then there is everything else. Alpine events, skating, skeleton, curling, hockey......ah - wonderful times...
But this W.O. has caught my attention for other reasons. For a massive, massive event, it is really trying to improve it's green credentials, and I do not mean by being the first resort to try the 'no snow' look.
And here is a little run down of some of the pimped greenie elements...
Medals - although a tinchy amount, the range of gold, silver and bronze medals have been produced this Olympics using some recycled elements reclaimed from defunct computers. Up to now, all medals have been made using virgin mined ores, so this little symbolic action is a step in the right direction.
The Village - as you can imagine, there are huge amounts of accommodation required to house the myriad of athletes, coaches and support teams travelling to the Olympics. But utilising the opportunity to really do something good, the nine new buildings commissioned for the village were so uber eco friendly that they actually set a new green standard for North America. Heat recovery systems draw energy back from exhaust heat and even the ocean, and the usual suspects of solar panels and green roofs make the podium.
The Richmond Oval - this stunning skating venue utilises timber that has been affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle and is possibly the largest timber clear span roof in the world, with an area covering four and a half football fields.
The Vancouver Convention Centre - this building also sports a stunning roof of over six acres in area and is blanketed in over 400,000 native plants who sit in a pesticide free, chemical free compost system.
There are also a vast series of temporary and permanent small scale buildings and shelters that have been commissioned to be both beautiful and top notch on the eco scales.
Plus the world's largest hydrogen powered bus fleet is currently ferrying people about the venues.
So, the bar has been raised big style for London 2012. Can we become the greenest Summer Olympics ever?
