"Green" medal for Torino.

• Author: Chafe, Zoe
• Position: Environment Programme

At this year's Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, some of the most remarkable achievements took place before athletes and spectators even arrived. With several years of help from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee (TOROC) undertook an ambitious plan to "green" the Games by cutting emissions, curbing water-intensive snowmaking, and promoting eco-friendly hotels.

For the first time, Olympic organizers planned to offset all carbon emissions produced during the Games--an estimated 100,000 metric tons--by investing in forestry, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects. "Climate change and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions are high priorities ..., especially as winter sports and climate change are closely interrelated," said Ugo Pretato, Head of Environment Programmes for TOROC. The carbon offsets, which mainly covered emissions from transport and the operation of Olympic venues, were purchased in line with the Kyoto Protocol, with funding provided by local governments.

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When faced with the need for 20 new reservoirs to provide water for snowmaking, organizers...