How Atlanta set a standard with its sustainability efforts for Olympic venues
Laura Johnson is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied Environmental Science, Policy, and Management with a concentration in sustainable agriculture. Her research focuses on climate-smart agriculture and resilience strategies for farming communities. Laura works as a sustainability strategist, helping farms in the US transition to practices that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
15 thoughts on “How Atlanta set a standard with its sustainability efforts for Olympic venues”
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1996 olympics were criticized heavily by foreigners for being too “commercial” but all that private money meant the tax payers didn’t have to foot the bill and ultimately lose money. LA 2028 is going to use existing venues as well.
ATLANTA !!!
What if the summer olympic games will one day be hosted in Miami?
Thank you so much for finally acknowledging that building and spending isn't the problem, but rather how host cities have built and spent. Most people think that every Olympic venue is destined to become a white elephant, so it's so refreshing to see a mainstream outlit finally point out that this is historically false.
Construction and technology has advanced enough that these abandoned venues could be repurposed. It’s a waste to let them rot/deteriorate.
Athens 2004 is a prime example of how NOT to build for an Olympics.
It would of been nice if Mercedes Benz Stadium was around back in 1996 that would of been one of perfect venues for Olympics given that the Georgia Dome was in use and demolished
Will Atlanta ever have another Olympics.
The Olympic Stadium (ceremonies/track and field) was called "The Incredible Shrinking Stadium" as a portion of it was cut off to become Turner Field.
As an Olympics historian I am glad CBS did this story. The Atlanta Olympics have been one of the best organized games in the last fifty years. They were into sustainability and legacy way before it was a thing.
Love how you forget that Atlanta 1996 featured the worst terrorist attack at an Olympics, since Munich 1972. Nor was Atlanta as sustainable or successful an event as LA 1984. Not to mention, every Summer Olympics post-Atlanta has gone over-budget. Several host cities, both for Summer and Winter Olympics, have gone bankrupt and are still struggling to recover.
Let go LA 2028
I’m sure California will also be sustainable.
Try looking at LA with zero new construction and using only existing facilities. Is that better than not melting down the planet?
Atlanta benefited the most from hosting the games