Are Beijing's Olympics Really Green?

Rachel King — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:00:12 -0400

Here's Beijing as it looks on a "blue sky" day, with the usual smog lifted from the city's skyline by a nice dry wind.

No, it's not a SARS epidemic--just a hazy day in Beijing, where a white mask is standard commuter wear.

The Beijing National Aquatic Center is the greenest site of the games, as well as the coolest looking. The outer surface and roof were designed to catch tens of thousands of tons of rainwater per year, not to fill the pool, but to clean the building and surrounding areas.

The Olympics: Green or Brown?

Rachel King — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:00:08 -0400

AIR POLLUTION

Green: Beijing authorities have claimed five straight years of air-quality improvement since 2002. Last year, Beijing's average daily Air Pollution Index was 100.69. Hoping to keep the reading below that Index for the duration of the games, Beijing has spent billions to close factories, stop construction and pull millions of cars off the roads each day in the last couple of weeks.

Olympic Games

Are Beijing's Olympics Really Green?

The Olympics: Green or Brown?

AIR POLLUTION