The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) to ensure greener games

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is involved in ambitious projects across the world to minimise the environmental impacts of international games.

The Canadian Government is partnering with the UN body for making this year's Vancouver Winter Olympics green.

''The athletes will not be the only ones going for gold - the game organisers are also shooting for the stars with a series of ambitious environmental goals,'' says UNEP. UNEP is also involved in partnerships to help green the Commonwealth Games which will take place in New Delhi in October 2010, as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL) for cricket. The Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) have been working with the UNEP over the last three years in a bid to enhance the event's environmental performance and increase green awareness. The Olympics organisers have focused on minimising the event's carbon impact, with clean technology choices, an expanded transport system for the city, green construction for the Olympic venues, and a commitment to offset direct carbon emissions from the Games. Some of the environment-friendly features of the Winter Olympic sites include low-flow toilets that use rainwater for flushing, energy-efficient grass-clad roofs and separate bins for compostable waste. The Games' green performance will be reviewed by UNEP in an Environmental Assessment Report which will be published later in 2010. The report will look at areas such as the greening of the venues, sustainable transport and waste management, and Vancouver 2010's climate neutrality target and work with non-governmental organisations. VANOC is also planning to use the Games to inspire broader awareness and action on climate-change solutions. UNEP's work with Vancouver 2010 is one of several partnerships with major sporting events to help lower the carbon footprint of sports and raise green awareness. It is advising the organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympics in Russia, and has also worked with Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008 - producing an Environmental Assessment of the Beijing Games that assessed how well the 2008 organisers fulfilled their eco-pledges. This year, UNEP is partnering with the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where it is helping to fund solar-powered and energy-efficient street lamps, traffic lights and billboards in several host cities around the country.