Rio 2016 has joined forces with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote sustainable tourism around next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, while also raising awareness in the host city. The ‘Green Passport’ initiative, which is unprecedented in Olympic Games history, was announced at a special event on Thursday (15 October) at Rio de Janeiro’s Botanical Gardens.

Denise Hamu, UNEP’s representative in Brazil, said the Rio 2016 Green Passport was wider reaching than the one produced for last year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. “This is a broader initiative, with more opportunities to work with other sectors, like restaurants, hotel and guest houses,” she said. “The planning of the Games included sustainability so we are in synergy with the organising committee.”

Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman highlighted that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is highly engaged with sustainability and that it has been one of the key pillars in planning for the Rio 2016 Games. “Our sustainable actions will be one of the most important legacies of the Games,” he said.

Find out more about the Green Passport and how Rio 2016 is planning sustainable Games

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The reception at Rio's Botanical Gardens showed how tourists' behaviour could be improved (Photos: Rio 2016/ Alex Ferro)

Tânia Braga, head of sustainability at Rio 2016, spoke of the campaign to engage visitors and Rio’s residents, via the Green passport website and mobile app. “There is research that shows that travellers use three times as much water in hotels than in their own homes and double the amount of electricity,” she said. “We want to reduce this impact, promote more responsible behaviour, while showing it is possible to travel in a way that is both fun and responsible.”