Bombardier has been awarded two "Sustainability Stars" by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in recognition of the company's role as designer and manufacturer of the 2010 Olympic Torch and 2010 Paralympic Torch, and its partnership with the City of Vancouver on The Olympic Line - Vancouver's 2010 Streetcar.
Working in collaboration with VANOC, Bombardier created an Olympic Torch with a modern, innovative design and a limited environmental footprint. Ninety per cent of the materials used in the production of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torches, including the sheet molding compound, are recyclable. The combustion system minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and both the aluminum from the cylinders and remaining fuel will be recycled following the 2010 Torch Relay. Bombardier designed and assembled the torches in Canada.
"We are very proud to receive this honour, which highlights Bombardier's commitment to sustainability and our capacity to develop ingenious and sustainable products," said Pierre Beaudoin, President and CEO of Bombardier. "While the 2010 Olympic Torch has become a symbol of Canadian spirit leading up to the 2010 Winter Games, our innovative partnership with the City of Vancouver on the Olympic Line has provided an opportunity for Bombardier to showcase, during the Games, the first 100 per cent low-floor streetcar in North America."
VANOC has awarded a Sustainability Star to the Olympic Line, a 60-day demonstration streetcar project that connects Granville Island and the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Vancouver. As part of Bombardier's partnership with the City of Vancouver, the company provided two award-winning FLEXITY streetcars and is now operating the free service 18 hours a day, seven days a week, until March 21, 2010.
The demonstration project provides Metro Vancouver residents and visitors with an opportunity to experience modern streetcars as a sustainable public transportation option. The Olympic Line also plays an important role in extending the regional transit network during the 2010 Winter Games and will decrease the number of private vehicles, motor coaches and buses travelling to and from Granville Island, thereby reducing congestion and improving air quality at one of Vancouver's premier tourist destinations.
The Vancouver 2010 Sustainability Stars Program celebrates leading examples of innovation in sustainability. The program recognizes initiatives by Games partners, sponsors and VANOC that demonstrate positive and measurable social, economic and environmental impacts. To be awarded a Sustainability Star, an innovation must demonstrate two or more sustainability features (social, economic and/or environmental); be directly linked to the 2010 Winter Games; produce a measurable outcome and; be new to the Host Region or the Games in general or significantly scaled up through Vancouver 2010.