FRANK STRIE
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Ohh these Russians!07/29/2009

The Ministry of Natural Resources in Russia has endorsed “green standards” for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi that specifies FSC certification for construction timber.
FSC certified timber will be used for all construction including buildings, transport and energy infrastructure as well as related nature protection projects in the region.

The “green standard” will be used in all construction for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games which are mandatory for all developers involved in the project.
The standards recommend FSC certification for all construction timber. It will only permit use of timber with legal documentation and proof the material does
not come from conservation areas.

Andrei Ptichnikov, Director of FSC Russian National Office, said, “It is the first time during the ten years that FSC has been established in Russia that FSC certification
and FSC certified products are endorsed for internal use by the Russian Government.”

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee declared they will further develop their “green program” to include certification requirements for all paper products for the
event, including office paper and printing materials envelopes and tickets.

The Russian Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev said, “In Sochi, we will make “green” standards the mandatory requirement for all developers because
construction is going on close to nature conservation areas, such as the Sochi National Park and Caucasus Biosphere Reserve.”
He continued, “Later on, Sochi ‘green standards’ will be used in Russia as part of the Olympic heritage.”

Sochi is the well-known resort city at Black sea cost, selected as the place of Winter Olympic games 2014.

Endorsed at the end of April 2009, the “green standards” will see environmentally responsible and resource-saving technologies used during Olympic construction. Much like the USGBC’s LEED standards, they include specifications on materials as well as aspects such as architectural planning, electricity supplies or waste management.

Source: FSC Russia