Vanoc says it is on track to cut such generator emissions by up to 90%.

ECONOMIST: The 2010 Winter Olympics

Among the reasons for not giving it gold is a sense that Vanoc has not lived up to its own lofty aspirations.

ECONOMIST: The 2010 Winter Olympics

Once the games are over, Vanoc thinks 118, 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will have been generated by its seven-year effort to stage them.

ECONOMIST: The 2010 Winter Olympics

GoodWoodWatch, a collaboration of local environmental groups and the Canadian branches of Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, has praised Vanoc for using renewable, local lumber in place of building materials like steel, aluminium and plastic, which have much higher carbon costs.

ECONOMIST: The 2010 Winter Olympics