There have been rumors circulating for weeks that Vancouver was going to take their environmental efforts to the next level by introducing the first green flame to the Olympics. During the opening ceremonies on Friday night, Canadians and environmentalists waited to see not only who would get the honor of lighting the cauldron, but also how environmentally sound that process would be.
As it turns out, The Great One, Wayne Gretzky was bestowed the top honor. Despite rumors, natural gas was in fact used both for the numerous torches and to keep the cauldron burning. Some had speculated and hoped that LED lights would instead be used to replicate the look of the Olympic flame.
Vancouver has made many efforts to incorporate sustainability into the Olympics. In this case, tradition won out over the environment as the Olympic cauldron emits natural gas into the atmosphere until the close of the event.
Do you think 2010’s Olympic flame should have gone green? Or is it okay to make environmental compromises for the sake of tradition?
http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/global-green/100214/olympic-flame-green