The greenest Games ever
As the World is getting ready for the Olympic Games, a WWF report shines a light on the event ‘s sustainability with some good news for the Planet
di Staff
London 2012 is the greenest Oyimpic Games ever. Sounds pretty odd to speak about sustainability when we refer to such a humongous event. It’s only a couple of days before London will welcome thousands of athletes and millions of tourists from all over the world for what seems to become the largest event, the British capital has ever been called to host . However it seems like the London Games will be more environmental friendly than what we actually thought, at least according to the WWF.
Last week, together with Bioregional, the WWF released a scorecard report on what we have to expect from these games in terms of sustainability and it turned out that there are some good news for the environment. The report highlighted some important decisions that have established a precedent and a template for others to follow, such as the use of “carbon footprint” as a strategic tool, which was considered by the WWF exemplary. Another positive achievement was the use of temporary structures, lightweight venues, sustainable materials and “legacy-proof” design. The WWF also declared to be optimistic about the number of family homes and parkland space that have been created in legacy and that will remain to the city and its people after the event. Also for the first time this year, food was included in the sustainability strategy.
But all the glitters ain’t gold. As the report notices ,“there have also been disappointments and failures”. The relationship between the Olympics and some commercial sponsors and suppliers has not realized its full potential for creating sustainable change. Moreover, a significant hole has been left in London 2012’ s carbon reduction strategy, as it failed to meet the renewable energy targets set out in the bid. The WWF plans to publish a fuller review of London 2012’s sustainability performance once the Games have finished. In the meantime they have developed a ning platform where everyone can express their opinions on the sustainability of the event and whether you agree on their assessment.
