The upcoming Paris Olympic Games is set to be the most sustainability-focused iteration of the event that has ever taken place – at least in modern times, as ancient Greece probably kept the event’s carbon footprint small.xa

France’s environmentally friendly efforts include a meal plan heavier on plant-based foods than in the past; making competition venues accessible by foot, public transportation and bicycle; constructing fewer new buildings for the event; and furnishing the Olympic Village with beds produced from cardboard and cold-running-water insulation in lieu of air-conditioning systems. 

Some of these initiatives have raised concerns about how 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries will manage, considering that trying to get your 40 winks in while tossing and turning on a cardboard bed in a stuffy building full of sweaty athletes is likely to reduce your overall performance under already stress-inducing conditions.

Minor controversy aside, though, the host city’s mission to keep things green has been widely supported by participating nations, including Israel, which is actively contributing to the sustainability efforts.

In an interview with ISRAEL21c, Prof. Adi Wolfson, head of the sustainability committee within Israel’s Olympic Committee, shared some insights.

An educational platform

Wolfson, a sustainability expert at Shamoon College of Engineering with a PhD in chemical engineering from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, has extensive experience in consulting on sustainability issues for cities, companies and organizations. 

Under the leadership of Israel Olympic Committee President Yael Arad – a judoka who won Israel’s first Olympic medal, in 1992 — Wolfson and his team have been working for over a year and a half to develop a comprehensive strategy to incorporate sustainability into the Olympics.

According to Wolfson, the committee’s goal extends beyond simple measures like replacing plastic cups with glass. They aim to address broader environmental concerns, such as climate change, by using the Olympics as a platform to educate athletes, teams and audiences. 

“We want to deal with the real things which are connected to sport but also to use our people to present issues like climate change and how it connects to every one of us,” Wolfson explained, emphasizing the importance of highlighting how sporting events consume significant resources like energy, water and food, while also generating considerable waste.

As one of its key initiatives, Israel’s team has signed the Sports for Climate Action agreement, a declaration to report the team’s greenhouse emissions and a commitment to reduce them where possible, and offset them by other means where not (including plans to plant a forest to offset flight emissions).

Heat and war

Wolfson also plans to implement a heat protocol to prepare Israel’s approximately 85 Olympic athletes for potential heatwaves during the Summer Games as a primary initiative launched by the committee. The protocol ensures that resources like energy and water are used more efficiently during training.

However, integrating sustainability into Israel’s broader societal context presents unique challenges. 

Wolfson acknowledged that the ongoing conflict in Gaza drags people’s attention to the here and now, making long-term sustainability planning difficult — both in terms of actually implementing the changes necessary as well as keeping the idea in the public sphere of interest.

“Israel has [pressing] issues: when you have war, it’s very difficult to speak about the next generations and those kinds of things,” he said.

As well, Wolfson stressed the need for concrete actions rather than just discussions; a shift which is currently lacking momentum in Israel. 

“Unfortunately in Israel, environmental issues and sustainability are more about talking than doing, and we want to do, not just to talk,” he stated.

Despite this, there is a growing awareness of the immediate impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather patterns, which has helped garner more public interest and support for the environmental initiatives advocated by the committee.

Long-term plans

Wolfson expressed optimism about the committee’s progress noting that “Everyone that [the committee] has spoken with has been receptive and excited to participate.”

Moving forward, the committee plans to increase public engagement and continue developing and implementing sustainability projects within the Olympic framework and beyond. 

Wolfson shared that they have long-term plans that will unfold over time, acknowledging that significant changes cannot happen overnight.

In order to successfully overcome the hurdles ahead (pun intended), Wolfson and the rest of the Israeli Olympics sustainability committee are keeping a core strategy in mind: “Our goal is trying to connect them to daily issues.”