Olympic athletes were prepared to don respirators and China was forced to seed clouds, idle factories and ban vehicles to temporarily lift a pollution fog that enveloped Beijing as recently as last month.
Very interesting (albeit ironic) for USGBC to award their “gold medal” for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design to a country recognized as one of the planet’s top polluters.
Thus proving that the politics of “green” have circled the globe and that lucrative consulting proposals can be generated in multiple languages and paid in a variety of currencies…
Poor Richard
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Beijing Air Improves, Olympic Village Earns LEED Gold
BEIJING, China, August 13, 2008 – Beijing’s air quality has improved, with the sky clearly visible today after rains on Sunday and Monday reduced the air pollution, heat and mugginess that made Olympic athletes, visitors and residents uncomfortable for days.
Weather officials measured an Air Pollution Index of 32 on Tuesday, far below the benchmark API 100 set by the Chinese authorities. An Air Pollution Index of 50 and below is considered excellent by the World Health Organization.
To read the rest of this article, courtesy of Environment News Service, click this link.
I hope you are correct. I just found it ironic…
It’s important to note that LEED certifications are issued for buildings, not countries. Looking from the positive side of it, you have this whole new “village” that has been constructed to a LEED Gold level in a country that doesn’t seem to care much about pollution or the environment. I look at it as (hopefully)a good start.