The upcoming Olympic Games are set to be held in Sochi, Russia and the past Olympic Games (Vancouver in 2010 and London 2012) have tried to be environmentally friendly and achieve carbon neutrality: to have a net zero carbon footprint, which means to achieve net zero carbon emissions by “balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset”.

Sochi is implementing a “Sustainable Future” program that will implement more low-carbon technologies that are energy efficient to decrease their carbon footprint in areas such as infrastructure and agriculture to make up for the estimated footprint of the Olympics in terms of planes and accommodations of the athletes participating in the 2014 Games as well as the staff in the organizational committee.

Their main inspiration is to increase environmental awareness and inspire others to do the same by focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the protection and restoration of ecosystems.

The goal of hosting the Olympic Games with minimal impact on the climate has been attempted in the past few Games, but if Sochi can achieve carbon neutrality they start a legacy of sustainability in the Olympic Games and also inspire other cities in Russia as well as the world to concentrate on their respective carbon footprints.

http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/clean_tech/mike-hower/sochi-2014-will-be-first-olympic-games-achieve-carbon-neutralit