Green Games for Seniors
The recently concluded Summer National Senior Games in Palo Alto, California, displayed a broad and consistent commitment to sustainability. From Sunny, the 2009 Senior Games Mascot, to the solar-powered torch and cauldron (pictured below), organizers were serious about impressing upon us seniors the value of pursuing sustainable actions — and they did it in an innovative and lighthearted way.
You probably can’t read the sign above, but it talks about the departure from traditional fossil-fuel burning torches typically used at the Olympic Games and other major sporting events. For these Games, the torch was powered by the sun and lit with LED lights (sorry no picture, I didn’t arrive in time for the torch relay), while the cauldron is made up of some 800 tiny mirrors that reflect the sun’s energy. Solar panels built into the cauldron capture energy from the sun throughout the day, so the cauldron can glow at night. The torch and cauldron were created by the folks at IDEO.
In addition to the highly visible statement about innovative uses of solar power, Senior Games organizers reinforced their sustainability message in a number of ways — from free use of the area’s tremendous public transportation system to ever present recycling, compost and trash bins. They also limited the amount of stuff in the goody bag — a very practical over-the-shoulder bag — to just a commemorative program and map of the venues. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence of either piece being printed responsibly (FSC and/or recycled content paper and vegetable-based inks).
If the printing was an oversight, the lack of plastic water bottles certainly was not. With the goody bag, each competitor received a reusable stainless steel h2goSS water bottle … along with a clear message that no plastic water bottles would be dispensed at the Games. Instead, Stanford University installed high-pressure hydrations stations throughout the campus venues (pictured below).
All in all, the 2009 Summer National Senior Games pulled it off. They clearly made a statement to participants, their families and friends: you can be green and have fun doing so.
Tags: green event management, green events, h2goSS, IDEO, Palo Alto, solar power, Stanford University, Summer National Senior Games