By Megan Shank (Shanghai)
No one wants rain at the games this summer, but should it pour, GE has provided Beijing’s National Stadium with China’s first rainwater recycling system to process the downfall for landscaping, fire-fighting and cleaning—that’s saving water that otherwise would have come from traditional sources. The company is also supplying filtration technology for safe drinking water and powering conference areas with highly efficient energy units, among other projects.
Since announcing its eleventh five-year plan in 2005, China has set ambitious environmental goals for the Olympics and beyond by focusing on increased energy efficiency and decreased emissions. These targets mean companies don’t need to do a hard sell on their green products for the 2008 event– in U.S.-based SPX’s case clean cooling towers, which require less energy and have built-in functions to clean the air instead of emitting more pollutants. Last year, the company sold several for use in Olympic buildings in multiple Chinese cities, including the convention center and the basketball gymnasium. If Yao Ming is indeed benched with a bum foot this summer, he may not lead his team to Olympic glory, but at least he’s won the right to air quality equivalent of his Houston court.
Not only are multinational companies involved, Chinese companies, like Beijing Sangpu, which works with solar power, are enjoying their day in the sun. For their try-out for Olympic glory, the company created equipment to power lights and telephones surrounding Beijing Worker’s Stadium and thus won the contract to implement solar-powered water heaters at several Olympic arenas.
Come rain or shine, things are looking greener every day.
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