Like many around the world, The Refinishing Touch team is counting down the days until the 2012 Summer Olympics, and we have officially reached the one week mark!

The summer event – which is held once every four years – means more to us this year than ever before.  That’s because the 500-acre Olympic Park venue, based in London, has earned the honor of hosting the ‘first sustainable Olympics’, and we are thrilled.

The efforts from the Olympic planning committee are proof of the increased importance placed on sustainability, especially in today’s world.  Designers of the Olympic Park took many measures to create the greenest stadium possible, including:

– Constructing the Park out of recycled materials

– Building the velodrome (track cycle arena) using sustainable wood

– Cleaning up any contaminated water and soil on the Park’s site

– Planting more than 300,000 wetland plants and nearly 4,000 trees

– Hiring food vendors that only utilize compostable packaging

– Testing a new waste management system that, if successful, can make its way into every future sporting event

As a sustainable furniture asset management company, we believe eco-friendly initiatives are critical to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our environment, especially at events as widely influential as the Olympic.  So this year, not only will The Refinishing Touch be cheering on the United States as they compete for the gold, but we will also be applauding the historic behind-the-scenes sustainable efforts that are also making an enormous mark on the 2012 games.