Paris Olympics’ Athletes Village to Use Water-Cooling System for Sustainability and Comfort [Video]

Here’s the scoop!

• The Paris Olympics aims to reduce its carbon footprint by half and install sustainable technologies for the athletes’ comfort.
• They plan to use a water-cooling system under the Athletes Village to keep temperatures in check for Olympians and Paralympians.
• The Athletes Village will turn into a zero-carbon, eco-friendly neighborhood with 6,000 new inhabitants after the games.

Paris Olympics organizers are taking steps to reduce the event’s carbon footprint by half and stage the most sustainable Games to date. The Athletes Village, which will host over 15,000 athletes and sports officials during the Olympics and Paralympics, will use a water-cooling system similar to the one at the Louvre Museum to keep everyone cool without the use of air conditioning.

The geothermal energy system, tested in simulated conditions and facing direct sun exposure, will ensure that the indoor temperature stays between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius (73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit), even during potential heat waves.

The Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, expressed her commitment to tackling climate change and making the City of Lights carbon neutral by 2050. She hopes that the Paris Games will serve as an example from an environmental perspective. After the Games, the Athletes Village site will become a zero-carbon, eco-friendly neighborhood, with 6,000 new inhabitants moving in as soon as 2025.

Although some Olympic hopefuls expressed concern about the lack of air conditioning, Laurent Monnet, in charge of the green transition at Saint-Denis City Hall, Paris’ northern suburb where the main Olympic Village will be located, called on athletes to adapt and help contribute to the fight against climate change.

He said, “We need athletes to set an example when they use the buildings. We can build the most virtuous village we want, but it is also the use that will be made of it that will weigh on our carbon footprint.”

Source: apnews.com