Sustainability and circular economy permeate every segment of this year’s Olympic Games, and how important environmental protection is for this event is evidenced by the fact that the Olympic flame will be carried by a Parisian garbage collector.
We are talking about Ludovic Fransche, an internet star who is followed by almost half a million people on social networks, and who attracted the attention of the public with his passionate collection of garbage.
The Olympic flame, which symbolizes peace and friendship between peoples, passes through the streets of Paris on July 14 and 15, past all the main locations and historical monuments, and is accompanied by numerous cultural and entertainment events.
Today, the flame will also be in the hands of Ludovic, who says that for him this is a great honor and that he will not carry the flame as a garbage collector, but as someone who advocates for the protection of the environment.
“I am someone who is very dedicated to the cleanliness of the planet, that is extremely important. You can’t imagine how happy I was when they called me,” said Ludovik, as reported by French media.
The idea is for the Olympic flame to travel the rest of France until July 26, when it will return to Paris for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
By cleaning the garbage to the internet
This forty-eight-year-old had no idea that he would gain great popularity overnight thanks to social networks. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ludovik noticed that people were massively ordering takeout, which caused waste to pile up uncontrollably.
His goal was not only to pick up trash, but also to educate people about their civic duty, so he came up with the idea of making the first clips for social networks.
The cute influencer, who dances, collects trash and invites his followers to join him in the fight for a cleaner planet, managed to create “viral” videos and reach over half a million people, writes Ekovjesnik.
Circular economy in the focus of the Olympic Games
Ludovico’s participation further emphasizes the ecological aspect of the Olympic Games, and the organizers made an effort to include the circular economy in every segment of the event.
After calculating the “material footprint” of the event, i.e. the sum of all the resources that must be mobilized, the organizers implemented a strategy of responsible purchasing.
When procuring all the necessary elements – from seats for spectators, tents, beds, tables, flags, sports equipment, etc., the organizers gave preference to suppliers that meet a number of environmental standards.
In the hospitality sector, Paris 2024 has committed to reducing single-use plastics by 50 percent compared to the London 2012 Games.
There are also other environmental measures such as renting sports equipment, maximum utilization of the public transport network, responsible food management in order to reduce its waste, and many others.
Milena Maglovski
Source: energetskiportal.rs
