Danielle Jackson

Salt Lake City -- The Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the 2002 Winter Olympics has joined forces with a number of companies to improve air quality through its Olympic Cleaner and Greener program. Alliance members include DuPont, Clean Air Conservancy, the Leonardo Academy and O2 Blue.

As part of the alliance, the SLOC quantified all forms of energy to be used during the Games, including the torch relay, transportation and operations. The SLOC then solicited donations of verified emissions reduction credits from local and national companies to offset the emissions produced by hosting the Games. The donated credits will be retired permanently to create a positive effect on air quality.

To date, Houston-based Waste Management Inc. has donated 120,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions reduction credits from four of its landfills.