Special Features - London outlines plans for green Olympics

London outlines plans for green Olympics
(30/11/07)

London 2012 Chairman, Sebastian Coe, has outlined a plan - Towards A One Planet 2012 - to make the London Games the most sustainable in the event's history.

London 2012 will leave a legacy in the Lea Valley after the Games have finished (c) London 2012

The wide-ranging plan looks at all aspects of London's preparation and staging of the Games, moving beyond being green to include key socio-economic issues such leaving skills, employment and business skills in east London long after the Games have finished.

Five priority themes

The plan identifies five priority themes:

Minimising greenhouse gas emissions
Minimising construction waste and ensuring no waste is sent to landfill during Games time
Ensuring the Games have little or no impact on the ecology of the Lower Lea Valley
Promoting diversity, inclusion and attitude change, especially towards disability
Using the Games to inspire people around the country to take up sport.

Highlights of the plan

A groundbreaking carbon footprinting study to measure the climate change impact of the Games is set to be one of the highlights of the plan.

The team also plan to work with EDF Energy, London 2012's first sustainability partner, to look at how they can make a low-emission, green Olympic flame.

All London 2012 suppliers and partners will be required to sign up to a sustainability code, meaning the products they sell will be sustainably sourced and ethically traded.

Sustainable stadium the centrepiece

The Olympic Stadium in Stratford will be the centrepiece of the plan. Once the Games are over, the 80,000 capacity stadium will be converted into a 25,000-seat community venue that could also become home to a lower-league football or rugby club.

The stadium will include a sunken bowl built into the ground for the field of play and lower permanent seating designed to bring spectators closer to the action.

Chief architect, Rod Sheard, of HoK Sport believes the fact that the stadium can be converted to a much smaller venue once the Olympics has finished makes it one of the most innovative stadia ever built.

Using the power of the Games to drive change

Sebastian Coe said, "The Olympic and Paralympic Games can set agendas and with Towards A One Planet 2012, we hope to use the power of the Games to drive change - behaviourally and in the way big events are staged in the future. Sustainability was an important element of our bid and underpins our preparations and our vision for the legacy of London 2012."

No host nation has been so ambitious

Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, said, "Towards A One Planet 2012 is unique in its scope - covering not just the environmental impact of the Games but also the impact on areas like transport, biodiversity, skills, employment and business legacies in east London. No other host nation has been so ambitious. With the eyes of the world upon us, the London 2012 Games must set standards for generations to come."

Keep up-to-date with preparations for London Olympics on the London 2012 website.

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