ok i haven't been active in a while buuuut... had to jump on this one.
The convention centre? sustainable? why? because it has a green roof? it has some wastewater catchment systems, some energy loss systems etc, but it's still an inherently unsustainable building.
#1. it uses energy, electrical and otherwise.
#2. still uses water from the GVRD
#3. it is a major draw from the world and hence massive indirect carbon emissions from transportation (planes, cars, buses) to and from events at the centre make it unsustainable.
#4. Doesn't come to a balance between economy, environment and community (look in the bruntland report. that's where sustainability as a term was coined), instead focusing on the economics of the building overwhelming and the community very little.
it may be much more sustainable than what it could have been, but this is still a case of green washing. Sorry, the word 'sustainability' is bogus and is used so broadly, by everyone to sell more development.
The olympics aren't 'sustainable' and never will.