The organizing committee of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games has released its Sustainability Management Plan, with the following mission statement:

“To deliver excellent Games, with memorable celebrations, that will enhance the global image of Brazil and promote sustainable social and urban transformations through sport, contributing to the growth of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.”

Carlos Nuzman, president of Rio 2016 Olympics, explained, “Our goal is to integrate sustainability into all dimensions of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics Games and thus create a legacy for all society.”

The plan examines ways to reduce the environmental footprint of the Games through transportation and logistics, sustainable construction and urban improvements, environmental conservation and clean-up, and waste management. It also seeks to raise awareness and involvement, offer universal accessibility, and promote diversity and inclusion. Lastly, the committee pledges to be transparent in their management of the Games from the planning stages through clean-up.

The committee has a technical cooperation agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP’s Brazilian representative, Denise Hamú, said, “An event the size of the Olympic Games is an excellent opportunity to implement and disseminate sustainable practices. This is the first time that the Olympics will be organized in South America, a crucial region for biodiversity conservation that has a vocation for developing low-carbon economies.”

The 2012 London Olympics were dubbed the “most sustainable ever” in pre-Games marketing, despite widespread criticism of their sponsors’ negative social and environmental records. Some of the sponsors included BP, Rio Tinto, Dow Chemical and McDonald’s.

Time will tell if the 2016 Olympics will break ties with such lucrative sponsorship deals in the name of sustainability.

This article appears courtesy of Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitterand Facebook.

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Image: Rodrigo Soldon

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Show some Olympic spirit with these limited-edition bangles, inspired by the Olympic rings and made entirely from bomb shards.

The start of the 2012 London Olympics will be celebrated with a lavish opening ceremony on Friday.Whether or not you’ll be following along on the television, you can show your Olympic pride by wearing these limited-edition Peacebomb bangles from Article22.

Created in honor of the unity and spirit of Olympic competition, the bangles are inspired by the Olympic rings, which were designed in 1912 and debuted at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics and represent the five continents involved in the games. Like all pieces in Article22’s Peacebomb collection, each bracelet is made in Laos, entirely out of melted bomb shards. The bangles are hand cast by artisans who collect scrap metal from the 250-260 million bombs that were dropped over the Laos countryside during the Vietnam War and wrapped with nylon (colors) or leather cord (black).

For each Peacebomb product sold, Project Peacebomb donates funds equivalent to the cost of clearing 1 to 15 square meters of land in Laos from unexploded bombs. In true Olympic spirit, you are also helping people in war-torn areas of the world earn a living wage.

Available for $20 for a single and $90 for the whole continents set from Article22.

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