9 June 2009: In an effort to green the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian Olympic organizers to help and advise them on making the games environmentally friendly.

Sochi, which sits between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, is renowned for its pristine setting. According to Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi 2014, the MoU will help ensure Sochi 2014 is able to introduce Green Standards to every level of the Games’ preparation.
The Sochi Olympic organizers are also planning to invest US$1.75 billion in energy conservation and renewable energy and to offset the remaining greenhouse gas emissions from the use of electricity, air travel and ground transportation, making the games climate neutral. Earlier this year, Sochi also joined UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network (CN Net), an initiative to promote global action and involvement towards low-carbon economies and societies. Launched one year ago, CN Net includes countries, cities, multinationals, NGOs and other UN agencies. [UNEP Press Release]