For its 2016 Olympic Golf Course, Brazil May Destroy Legally-Protected Open Land

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro wants to destroy pristine land that the Brazilian government has legally set aside in order to build a golf course for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Environmental activists are furious, according to an article in The Rio Times. The mayor, Eduardo Paes, apparently doesn’t care.

Olympic organizers maintain only a new course on the spot in question will suffice, although why that is so is unclear. Paes reportedly plans to set aside new acreage, but he hasn’t said yet how much.

Further angering environmentalists, the new golf course will border another parcel of government-protected pristine land, making them fear that further development is inevitable.Brazil in South America

Rio’s municipal secretary for urban planning also is opposed, as is a local councilwoman, who effectively summarized how this situation may well explode into a global headline when she said, “It is a complete contradiction, wanting to change environmental law, and, at the same time, promoting the idea that we intend to promote a sustainable Olympic Games.”

What do you think? 

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Criticized by Environmentalist, Sport Of Golf Seeks New Green Image

According to a large number of environmentalists, the only thing green about the sport of golf is the course itself, and that’s only because golf courses generally use chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

It will take a lot to change their minds, but the Golf Environment Organization hopes it can.

This non-profit group is on a campaign to make golf a “sustainable” sport.

How?

For one thing, by conserving water, in part through the use of grasses that require less water. For another, by using solar and other environmentally-friendly energy sources in clubhouses, etc.

For still another, using less chemicals and pesticides.

A lot of environmentalists may never see golf as a sustainable, given what they see as an inefficient use of land and other reasons.

What do you think? Can golf be made sustainable?