At YouRenew, we were pretty bummed when Chicago lost to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in the race to host the 2016 Olympics (our co-founder Bob is from Chicago). But after revealing the 2010 gold, silver and bronze medals last week, the International Olympic Committee has completely redeemed itself.


The new medals for the 2010 Vancover Winter Olympics will contain metal recovered from used electronics. On October 15, the organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games unveiled the new medals designed by Canadian Aboriginal Artist Corinne Hunt.


Teck Resources, a Vancover based metal company, is supplying the 2.05 kilograms of gold, 1,950 kg of silver and 903 kg of copper used in the production of the medals, much of it coming from end-of-life electronics.


“Our employees worldwide are honored to supply the metals for the medals that will be cherished by the world’s best winter athletes in 2010,” said Teck’s President and CEO Don Lindsay. “We’re also excited that these medals will contain recycled metal recovered from end-of-life electronics, consistent with the sustainability philosophy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”


The medals are hand crafted and feature a wavy design that is meant to “evoke British Columbia’s mountains, ocean and snow”. They took two years to complete and are among the heaviest medals in Olympic and Paralympic history.


According the Vancover Winter Olympics website, the pride associated with winning the medals is meant to be shared and symbolizes a life’s accomplishment.


I think the Olympic committee deserves their own medal for their work to create a more environmentally conscious ceremony and sustainable planet.