Games greenest but could they be greener?

THE LONDON 2012 Games will undoubtedly be the greenest yet, but there have been some notable failures.

Foodservice Footprint Locog-Sustainability-300x200 Games greenest but could they be greener? Foodservice News and Information Out of Home sector news  WWF Towards a One PLanet Olympics Revisited Sue Riddlestone Scorecard London 2012 Bio-Regional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example, the use of carbon footprint as a strategic tool was good; however, the failure to build a significant and visible renewable energy source was bad. The promotion of local, seasonal, healthy and organic produce has been excellent, yet when it comes to the promotion of the links between healthy eating, sport and wellbeing progress has been poor.

 

The scorecard, Towards a One Planet Olympics Revisited, has been published by WWF-UK and BioRegional. It concluded: “London 2012 is the Olympics that sets a new sustainability standard for future Games; we just wish London 2012 had been able to push sustainability a little faster, a bit higher and with an even stronger focus on changes beyond the Olympic Park.”??

 

In 2005, BioRegional and WWF-UK, worked with London 2012, to write the original sustainability strategy, Towards a One Planet Olympics. Today’s report provides a snapshot of progress on the eve of the Games, examining the 76 promises made then and rating them according to whether they have been met.

 

BioRegional and WWF-UK have also set up an online social network at www.towardsaoneplanetolympics.com where readers can post their own views about London 2012’s sustainability performance.

 

Sue Riddlestone, BioRegional’s Executive Director who was involved writing in the original strategy, said London 2012 has set the sustainability bar high for future Summer Olympics but was disappointed that not all the promises made have been kept. “London 2012 has built venues and staged an event which set new standards for resource efficiency which cut the carbon and saved money. The 2012 team pulled out all the stops to achieve real innovation on park recycling, sustainable food and even transport.

 

“That said, there were some promises made in 2005 which London 2012 didn’t keep, even though we know they tried. We were especially disappointed about the failure to meet the renewable energy targets. So the journey to deliver a sustainable Olympics will continue. It is important that all the great things which London 2012 have achieved and the lessons learned are passed on and that a commitment to sustainability is a key criterion by which the 2020 Summer Olympics bids are judged.”

 

BioRegional and WWF-UK will publish a fuller review of London 2012’s sustainability performance once the Games has finished, and will include examples, opinions and quotes from the social network site to paint a comprehensive picture of what worked and what didn’t.