In the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, officials made much of the fact that everything would be as environmentally friendly as possible. (You may have noticed that the announcement of almost any big project or event these days comes with obligatory assurances that it will be “green.”)
Well, part of what was supposed to make the Olympics “green” was the use of electric ice-resurfacing machines, rather than traditional propane-powered machines. But two of the three “green machines” kept malfunctioning, creating major delays in competition at the speed-skating rink. They “left slush and pools of water on the surface,” The Associated Press reported.
A disgusted U.S. coach, Derek Parra, told USA Today that the machines created an effect similar to “skating on gravel on in-line skates.”
Though it might displease environmentalists, officials decided to bring in a propane-powered replacement.
It’s not as “green,” but it gets the job done.