Canada’s first big win at the London 2012 Olympics may already have been achieved. The 2012 Canadian Olympic Team’s travel to London will be carbon neutral, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Offsetters announced yesterday.

The COC is partnering with Offsetters, a leading carbon management solutions provider, to offset the emissions associated with the Team’s travel to London 2012, including athletes and their equipment, coaches, and mission staff.

“Along with sport and culture, environment is one of the three dimensions of the Olympic Movement and we are thrilled to continue our leadership role in this area,” said Christopher Overholt, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee. (Pictured above right with BC Environment Minister Terry Lake)

“The 2012 Canadian Olympic Team’s travel to the 2012 Olympic Games will leave no carbon footprint, thanks to our partners at Offsetters.”

“Building on our legacy of making Vancouver 2010 the first carbon neutral Olympic Games, Offsetters is proud to be partnering with the Canadian Olympic Committee to send a carbon neutral team to London,” said James Tansey, CEO and Founder of Offsetters. “By supporting the Olympic Team, we hope to educate, engage and inspire Canadians to take action on climate change.”

The Team’s travel emissions are being offset with a mix of projects drawn from Offsetters General Portfolio of high-quality projects that promote the shift to a low-carbon future. All projects are developed to best in class standards from Canada and around the world.

“This is a great initiative by the Canadian Olympic Team and Offsetters,” said three-time Olympic rower and 2008 Olympic silver medallist David Calder. “Canadians can take pride in knowing that the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team is carbon neutral.”

“This is an issue that means a lot to athletes,” said two-time Olympic snowboarder Justin Lamoureux. “We fly all over the world for training camps and competitions and we want to do everything we can to minimize our effect on the environment.”

Carbon Facts

The Canadian Olympic Team’s carbon footprint to London is equivalent to:
•Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 294 mid-sized passenger vehicles driving for one year
•CO2 emissions from 636,558 litres of gasoline
•CO2 emissions from the heat and electricity use of 147 Canadian homes for one year
•Carbon sequestered annually by 320 acres of pine or fir forests
•CO2 emissions from 62,500 propane cylinders used for home barbeques
•Slightly more than the estimated footprint of the London 2012 torch relay (estimated at 1,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e2)

The weight of 1500 tonnesofCO2 emissions is the same as 10 fully-loaded Boeing 767-200 airplanes on a transatlantic flight.