The 2006 winter Olympic games, which kick off tonight in Torino, Italy, will be spangled with bronze, silver, gold… and some say green. Klaus Toepfer, director of the United Nation's environment program, calls them “the greenest Games ever,” and applauds the event’s comprehensive sustainability plan which he says will pave the way for other green international spectator events in the future.

The Torino games boast a broad range of innovations, including recycling programs, green-building developments in the Olympic Village, eco-friendly lodging, and clean-energy offsets.

Despite all these accomplishments, however, the World Wildlife Fund only gave the Olympic games a satisfactory grade for meeting environmental standards. WWF experts say some events pose a threat to the fragile Italian Alps: “Despite the efforts which have been to ensure the eco-compatibility of the Games, we can not ignore a number of aspects which seriously damage the mountain environment,” said Sergio Savoia of WWF. “This includes the construction of a bob-sleigh track and two ski-jumps in delicate mountain environmental areas.”

WWF also voiced concerns about the energy consumption of the event. As for the Olympic torch, it will burn enough natural gas in 15 days to serve a village of 3,500 inhabitants for an entire year. “Considering the great symbolic value of the event, more should have been done to reduce energy consumption,” Savoia added.

Photo credit: Olympics.org