VANOC was hoping to hit gold; instead the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games appears lucky to have made a podium appearance.

The David Suzuki Foundation was commissioned by VANOC in 2007 to produce a carbon management for the winter Olympics and the organization developed strategies for a carbon neutral games.

After an analysis of the organizer’s efforts, the Suzuki Foundation has awarded VANOC a bronze medal for its attempt to reduce the climate impact of the event.

The Vancouver Olympic bid set clear goals related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, but was vague in other areas, says the foundation in its climate scorecard.

VANOC was relatively transparent about its climate program and made improvements over previous Games with a more rigorous and comprehensive approach, the foundation added.

“The number one priority in managing the climate impact of any large event is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible (before offsetting), and it is estimated that the Vancouver Olympics will have reduced overall emissions by around 15 percent,” says the environmental organization.

“Since the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002, most Olympics have taken responsibility for some of their climate impact by using carbon offsets,” it adds. “VANOC has so far committed to offset 118,000 tonnes of its emissions, which is substantial, but still represents under half of Games-related emissions.”

In March 2009, VANOC announced a target to neutralize up to 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the Games.

“Together with our partners, we take responsibility for our carbon footprint and are working hard to make the 2010 Winter Games as green as possible. Since we won the bid for the Games in 2003, we have focused on understanding our total carbon emissions and finding ways to reduce them at source,” said John Furlong, VANOC’s CEO.

In setting its carbon offset target, VANOC relied on the Suzuki Foundation forecast which was subsequently reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The independent foundation predicted that, based on planning at that stage, the Games would produce an estimated 110,000 tonnes of direct carbon emissions and another 220,000 tonnes of indirect emissions from air travel by spectators and other participants.

While VANOC now believes the Games will only produce about 270,000 tonnes of CO2, it has quietly decided to offset only about 118,000 tonnes of direct emissions.

Ann Duffy, a VANOC sustainability officer, told Global TV to think of the Games as a wedding – VANOC will pay the expenses of the wedding party and the immediate family, but not those of the extended family and friends.

That means the Games will only be about 43 percent carbon neutral – not the “greenest ever and carbon neutral” promised in a handout Premier Gordon Campbell gave to world leaders in December at the Copenhagen climate summit.

VANOC says corporations and visitors to the Games will be asked to voluntarily help offset their emissions travelling to, at and from the Games.

The Suzuki Foundation credits the Vancouver Olympics with reaching out to sponsors, suppliers and others with several climate initiatives, but says VANOC hasn’t motivated the general public.

“Environment is one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement, and the Olympic Games are an unparalleled opportunity to reach out to billions of people around the world and inspire them with solutions to climate change,” says the foundation. “Yet this is the category where VANOC has had the least success.”

The Olympic transportation legacy, the Canada Line notwithstanding, was also criticized by the Suzuki Foundation.

“Local transportation and shipping are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions for the Olympics,” it said. “In Vancouver it appears opportunities to create lasting reductions in transportation emissions in the region have been missed.”

VANOC did get high praise in two areas – the quality of its venues – many are built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards – and its reduced use of fossil fuels.

“Venues are a visible legacy of all Olympics, and the Vancouver Olympics will leave the region with innovative energy-efficient buildings that will reduce community greenhouse gas emissions – and save money – for many years into the future,” says the scorecard.

“Fossil fuel energy use at venues, including electricity, heating and cooling, is typically a major source of greenhouse gas emissions for winter Olympics,” says the foundation. “However, the Vancouver Olympics will primarily use clean energy sources.”

Normally about 600 diesel generators would be used for an event of Olympic proportions, but VANOC plans to use only 100. However, alternative green energy sources such as wind or solar appear not to be a significant part of the solution.

Dr. Chris Shaw, a University of British Columbia professor, has been one of the most vocal critics of the Vancouver Games.

He says about 120,000 trees were cut for roads, venues, legacy trails and ski jumps and over 800 trees cut down in Whistler for a Celebration Plaza. Trees are widely viewed as a carbon sink so the number of trees felled actually increases the Games’ carbon footprint.

Shaw is the author of Five Ring Circus, The True Cost of the Olympic Games, a critical report on the process leading up to Vancouver’s selection as host to the 2010 Winter Games. He has already paid a price for his criticism.

Last June 3rd, the Joint Intelligence Group, a branch of the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, pulled Shaw aside at a West Broadway café over his 2008 anti-Olympics book. And on June 7, Shaw was detained at Heathrow Airport passport control for an hour. Shaw said a U.K. Home Office representative peppered him with questions about a talk he was going to give on June 12 at a conference in Coventry, undoubtedly concerned his talk might bash the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympics.

Anti-Olympics protestors say police have approached dozens of people opposed to the Games at their work and homes. The RCMP-led Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit (ISU) argues such visits are a legitimate tactic to ensure the Games are safe.

More than 70 top athletes and thousands of Canadians wrote to the organizers of the 2010 Olympics, asking them to make the Games carbon neutral.

“As a winter Olympian I see global warming firsthand: melting glaciers, changing snow patterns and the closing of lower-elevation hills,” says Canadian Alpine Ski Team member Kelly VanderBeek. “Winter sports are threatened by global warming and Canadian Olympic athletes are stepping forward and calling for action.”

“The winter Olympics depend on snow and ice, and they need to do their part to protect winter,” says former Olympic speed skater Ingrid Liepa. “It’s encouraging to see that the Vancouver Olympics are making a contribution, and I hope that future Olympic Games will raise the bar even higher for the sake of our winter sports culture – and our planet.”

Ms. VanderBeek and Ms. Liepa are members of Play It Cool, a joint initiative of the Climate Project of Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation. These athletes are taking action in their own lives to reduce their carbon footprint.

All Canadians can do their part by reducing their carbon footprint and encouraging others to do the same. Learn more about climate solutions at http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/.

With trees blooming and flowers blossoming in Vancouver, it appears the flora around the city will be the greenest part of 2010 Olympics.