With environmental protection a high-priority global issue and a pressing issue for China what better place for China to showcase its initiatives and innovations in sustainable development and environmental protection than the world's greatest sporting contest.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics couldn't have come at a better time for China.

Just when it is trying to find a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability, it is set to host a worldwide event which will no doubt put its environmental protection progress under the microscope, giving the nation extra motivation to improve its environment.

In order to improve its environment and ensure minimal environmental impacts from the Olympic Games, it is imperative that China learns from the successes and failures of past Games.

Beijing Olympic organizers have had a keen look at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, which was dubbed as the world's first truly Green Games.

Some of Sydney's environmental initiatives included a former waste site being transformed into Sydney Olympic Park, now a top sporting, recreational, business and residential area; the Athletes Village being solar-powered; Sydney Olympic Park venues using recycled water for toilet flushing; Stadium Australia using collected rainwater to irrigate the pitch; objects such as bins and tables used at various Olympic venues being made from recycled materials and Sydney Olympic Park venues featuring low energy use designs that considerably reduce gas emissions.

The Australian Minister for Arts and Sport, Rod Kemp, said at a recent China-Australia media forum that China has been a keen student of previous Olympic Games and has already proved it has taken these lessons on board.

Beijing 2008 Olympic planners have committed to, among other things, the sustainable use of water resources; the construction of energy efficient buildings using environmentally friendly materials and environmental protection.

Olympic Venues in 2008 will have 20 per cent of their electricity powered by wind and Beijing's National Olympic Stadium will use solar power to supplement its usual power supply, with solar power also being used to power streetlights and heat the athlete's water in the Beijing Olympic Village.

Rain-harvesting technologies are being installed in Olympic Park and its vicinity, which is a timely move as Beijing continues to face severe water shortages.

There are also plans to build wastewater treatment plants as a solution to the city's wastewater disposal and drainage issues.

Recycling projects will be developed and a disposal centre for hazardous waste, two refuse incineration plants and two refuse processing plants are under construction. The disposal centre will burn, and recycle the waste, as well as use landfill sites for disposal.

The incineration plants will process the refuse by burning it and will subsequently produce energy and the refuse processing plants are trialing the viability of processing refuse to extract products such as methane gas.

It was a wise decision by Olympic planners to concentrate on environmentally friendly infrastructure for the Olympics, despite the high costs associated with such a move. This showed long-term vision that future generations will be grateful for.

In a further positive move, the Beijing Olympic's organizing committee has entered into an agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which will see UNEP promoting the maintenance of a healthy environment in the lead up to and during the Olympic Games.

The environment is now the third dimension of the Olympics, next to sport and culture, which has given Beijing a fantastic opportunity to assess its environmental practices and really look to be leaders in the areas of environmental protection and innovation.

It would be rewarding for Beijing to see many of the environmental solutions and innovations that will feature in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games adopted by commercial organizations both domestically and globally, just as cutting-edge design features and technologies used in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were adopted by overseas building developers.

More importantly, it would be encouraging to see some of the environmental initiatives showcased at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games adopted by Chinese society in everyday life. That really would be a performance worthy of a gold medal.

The author is a copy editor of China Daily