Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee meets carbon offset target before Opening Ceremony

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee has announced that they have fulfilled their Bid Book obligation to mitigate the direct carbon footprint of the Games in Sochi in 2014 before the Games even get underway. The direct carbon footprint includes all the emissions associated with the travel and accommodation of athletes, staff, and volunteers, as well as the operation of the sports venues and the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee’s activities from 2007 until the Paralympic Games’ Closing Ceremony.

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee made this commitment in 2007 - when Russia received the privilege to host its first Olympic Winter Games. The program to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases is carried out jointly with Worldwide Olympic Partner and Official Carbon Partner of the Organizing Committee, Dow.

Any human activity leads to CO2 emissions, and the mitigation of direct footprint of the Games is one of the main objectives of the program – to host "Games with minimal impact on the climate."

The direct carbon footprint of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, calculated together with a group of Russian and international experts, is estimated to be up to 360,000 tons of CO2 equivalent, and has been fully mitigated. In total, starting from March 2013 thanks to energy efficient technologies implemented by Dow across the country in such areas as infrastructure, industry and agriculture more than 500 000 tons of greenhouse gases have been mitigated today, which already exceeds the stated figures, and this is all thanks to Dow.

Moreover, the Organizing Committee has not only mitigated 100% of their own carbon footprint, but also voluntarily offset the footprint associated with the travel of spectators and media attending the Games. Embracing the global spirit of the Olympic Games, the travel offset program includes the retirement of carbon credits from environmental projects in Russia, Brazil and South Korea - countries hosting the next Olympic Games, as well as a project carried out at one of Dow's own manufacturing plants in the United States.

"We are proud to announce the achievement of one of the main objectives of the organization, Games with minimal impact on the climate. Thanks to Dow and the "Sustainable Future" program, the Organizing Committee has been able to mitigate the direct carbon footprint of the Games before opening them. The program also promotes the latest technological developments and opens up new approaches to conserve our environment for the future Organizing Committees, " - said the president of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko.

"The Worldwide Olympic Partnership allows Dow to showcase its solutions on the world’s most revered global sports stage," said George Hamilton, vice president, Dow Olympic Operations. "Our capabilities and expertise make us a key player to advance the 3rd pillar of the Olympism – the environment – and this is how we have been working with Organizing Committees and the IOC to deliver game-changing innovations for the Olympic Games moving forward."

For more information contact:Press Service of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committeesochi2014.com | media@sochi2014.com | +7 (862) 445 1000, +7 (862) 445 61

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