Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee and Project for an Environment-Friendly Olympics

The Lillehammer Olympic Committee and the Project for an Environment-Friendly Olympics set an environmental standard, which was conspicuously absent in previous Olympics and which will undoubtedly set a precedent. The Project for an Environment-Friendly Olympics, comprising mainly NGOs, originally opposed the games in Lillehammer for environmental reasons, however, they decided to work with the Olympic Committee to ensure that most of the venues as well as transportation plans were designed to cause as little ecological damage as possible. Authorities used various economic instruments to ensure a green approach. For example, fines were levied for the number of trees felled. In addition, an ice rink was built inside a mountain so as o save energy for heating; battery-powered ice machines were used instead of propane gas-fuelled ones so as to keep the bobsled track cold; and the bobsled course was designed to blend in with the forest on the fringes of the mountains outside Lillehammer. Many of the structures in the Olympic village can be disassembled and rebuilt as housing in other parts of Norway. The plates, utensils and cups, used by food vendors, were also designed with the environment in mind, as they were made from a material which could be fed to livestock once they had been used. Hotels and other facilities were built so as to mix with the decor of the village and all vehicles were banned from Lillehammer during the games.