Dow Makes Sochi '14 Carbon Neutral For Athletes, Media and Spectators
MIDLAND (WWJ) -- Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) says it's offsetting the estimated travel-related greenhouse gas emissions of athletes, media and spectators to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games this winter in Sochi, Russia.
Dow's initiative, announced at the International Olympic Committee World Conference on Sport & Environment, in Sochi, means it is implementing energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies in the areas of infrastructure, industry and agriculture throughout the Russian Federation to mitigate Sochi 2014's direct carbon footprint.
Sochi 2014 will be the first Olympic Games to offset 100 percent of the estimated travel footprint associated with spectators and media, amounting to 160,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.
The spectator and media travel footprint will be compensated through a portfolio of high-quality offset projects developed to international standards, and recognized under the International Carbon Offset and Reduction Alliance Code of Practice, the global benchmark for best practices in the offset markets.
The portfolio focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, as well as the protection and restoration of vulnerable ecosystems. It includes offsets from the host country of the Olympic Winter Games, specifically from the Bikin Tiger project -- a forest conservation project in Vladivostok, Russia, that is home to the Amur tiger and the snow leopard.
In addition, the portfolio aims to embrace the international spirit of the Games and includes offset projects in Brazil and South Korea, countries that will host the next two Olympic Games.
Dow will also use a methane recycling project in Georgia as part of the offset. The project uses landfill gas as an energy source for landfill operations.
