Environmental support for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games

October 2008 The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved the Programme of environmental support measures for the preparation and staging of the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2014 in Sochi.

Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy

June 2009 The approval of the Sochi 2014 Ecological Strategy, founded on four strategic areas: Games in Harmony with Nature, Games with minimal impact on climate, Zero Waste Games, and Enlightenment Games.

Games in Harmony with Nature

The regional infrastructure is being modernized, the existing special nature reserves are being expanded, and new ones are being created;

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources is implementing a unique program to restore a population of the Persian leopard in the territory of the Western Caucasus;

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, in conjunction with the Sochi community, is implementing projects to help preserve biodiversity in the Games region, and develop eco-tourism in the Games region;

Under the Construction Program for the Olympic Venues and the Development of Sochi as an Alpine Climate Resort, the responsible executors are implementing compensatory measures to preserve the unique natural environment of the Games region;

December 2011. One of the Organizing Committee's branch offices was certified under the "ECO office" system;

January 2012. Sochi Administration developed and approved the Plan of measures to develop eco-tourism in Sochi for 2012-2015, as part of the Program to develop eco-tourism in Sochi;

May 2012. The Regulations governing the organization of nature preservation activity, in the territory where the temporary infrastructure for the 2014 Games is located, were approved;

As part of the implementation of the project to support the development of eco-tourism in the Games region, in the village of Golitsyno, in the Adler Region of Sochi, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, along with over 100 representatives of the environmental community, Sochi Administration and the Sochi 2014 volunteers, opened the newly renovated and refurbished eco-path, "The Dry Canyon of Psekhako", which is 800 meters long;

October 2012. The Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, S.E. Donsky, confirmed the Plans of measures related to the restoration of the ecosystem of the R. Mzymta, thorough environmental monitoring and the preparation of compensatory measures within the framework of environmental support for the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi.

Games with Minimal Impact on Climate

A project is being implemented to calculate and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases related to the preparation and staging of the Games.

Zero Waste Games

A key task of the organizers - minimizing the amount of waste sent to landfills for disposal and sending the maximum amount of waste for recycling or reuse;

January 2012 The Guidelines on waste management during Games-time were approved;

May 2012 Krasnodar Region Authorities unveiled the solid waste management program, proposing the removal of waste from Sochi to intermunicipal landfills in the center of the region by rail and road transport;

The site of solid waste storage in Sochi's Adler region has been recultivated. This represents the first time that the best international practices in recultivation of landfills have been applied on Russian soil;

A project has been developed to create a waste management system at the Games venues;

Work is ongoing to implement a waste collection system in a pilot area – Alpine Center Rosa Khutor.

Enlightenment Games

Raising environmental awareness and forming environmentally responsible behavior among the population;

Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee is holding ongoing consultations with UNEP (the United Nations Environment Program) and the UNDP (the UN Development Program);

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, in conjunction with Sochi Administration and the Sochi volunteers and partners, has been holding annual environmental awareness events:

• World Environment Day, June 5;
• International Black Sea Action Day, October 31;
• World Earth Day, April 22;
• World Car-Free Day, September 22.

The Organizing Committee regularly takes part in campaigns by some of the leading non-governmental organizations in the field of nature preservation:

• UNEP's "Billion Tree Campaign";
• UNEP's "Climate Neutral Network".

In 2010, a two-volume edition was prepared and published: "Atlas of Medicinal Wild Plants of the Sochi Black Sea Coastal Region" and "Atlas of Edible Wild Plants of the Sochi Black Sea Coastal Region";

On a quarterly basis, a publicly available electronic informational environmental bulletin, Popular Ecology is published.

Green construction Implementation of environmental innovations

Certification of key Sochi 2014 venues in the compliance with the BREEAM international standard of "green" construction or with the Russian "green" standard;

The launch, in conjunction with SC "Olympstroy", of a Program to recognize achievement in the field of "green" building among those involved in the Construction Program for the Olympic venues of the 2014 Games in Sochi;

September 2011 As part of the IOC Coordination Commission's 6th visit to Sochi, a grand victory ceremony was held for the winners of a Competition among developers using innovative environmental protection techniques in their work;

The Eco-innovations-2012 Contest was held among the construction companies (the results will be announced, and the winners presented with their awards, during the IOC Coordination Commission's visit to Sochi on March 12-14, 2013.).

July 2012 The fourth Report on the implementation of "green" construction standards was published;

Olympstroy SC presents the builders of Olympic facilities in Sochi with environmental requirements exceeding the current legislation by 70%;

The use of fully-functioning water supply systems and alternative water supplies;

Saving water during construction, by separating drinking water from the service water supply, and by collecting and processing rainwater and melted snow;

Ensuring that 97% of construction waste is collected, treated and reused.

Environmental legacy

• The development of a "green" construction industry within the Russian Federation thanks to the Games;
• The ultra-modern and eco-efficient sports facilities, which form the first national center for winter sports;
• Olympic venues that have been certified under the "green" BREEAM construction standard with international recognition, specific innovation solutions, and performance indicators;
• Olympic Venues, certified under the Russian "Green Standards" system;
• The modernization of regional infrastructure, offering eco-efficient solutions much-needed for the development of Sochi;
• Improving the environmental culture of the inhabitants of the Sochi region and Russia as a whole;
• Formation and application of modern and highly effective management tools in the field of natural resources and environmental protection; implementation of new business tools for our country; development of an Environmentally Informed Procurement System;
• The formation and implementation the Environmental Management System in Accordance with ISO 14001 Standard within the Organizing Committee.

International Recognition of the Sochi 2014 Environment Program

Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee is awarded in the sustainable development and environmental protection field at the International Sports Event Management Awards conference.