February 12, 2014

You may see a lot of gold, silver and bronze at the Olympics, but one color you definitely won’t see much of in Sochi is green. Years ago, Russia won its Olympic bid in large part by pledging to host the most environmentally friendly Games ever. Now, however, it’s clear that Sochi did not fulfill these promises and, in fact, has perpetrated an ecological nightmare.

 

Here are four reasons even casual environmentalists will resent Sochi’s actions:

 

1. Illegally Dumping Waste

 

So much for Sochi’s “zero waste” claims: the Associated Press has proven Russia’s vow to use only renewable materials in their construction efforts and not dump waste false. Though the nation tried to hide this dumping, the press agency found literal tons of waste being dumped unsafely in a protected area.

 

Since the illicit spot was discovered, Russian officials blamed it on a hired company’s “error.” Still, no effort has been made to remove the dangerous waste from where it sits.

 

2. Damaged Water Supply