The UK government is not only claiming to be the greenest government ever, but it is also determined to oversee the greenest games ever at this year's Olympic Games, due to start today. Sustainability has been at the forefront of all decisions made leading up to the games; from construction of stadiums, to organising transport systems.
Sebastian Coe, ex-olympian and head of the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, said that "London 2012's relentless pursuit of sustainability has been part of every bold and challenging decision we have made, in the development of the Olympic Park and the staging of the Games."
Achim Steiner, the UN undersecretary general and Environment Programme executive director, said that "every Olympic Games represents unique challenges and opportunities in terms of raising the bar of the third pillar of Olympism - namely the environment - and London is no exception." The lessons learnt designing these games will become "the blueprint and guide to each successive host city."
London 2012 will be the first games to ever use a carbon footprint monitoring system from the start, until it ends in August, and has also been the first to follow a zero-waste-to-landfill scheme during the construction of venues, recycling more than 98% of the waste produced.
The Olympic Park, the main venue, was built on once-contaminated industrial land, using old gas pipes to construct the most light-weight stadium ever.
The UNEP, who have worked with the Olympic Committee on the sustainability efforts at Athens 2004, Torino 2006, Beijing 2008, and Vancouver 2010, have provided a sustainability assessment guide to help measure the Games' environmental impact and ensure they truly are 'the greenest games ever.'
By. James Burgess of Oilprice.com
James Burgess studied Business Management at the University of Nottingham. He has worked in property development, chartered surveying, marketing, law, and accounts. He has also… More