Will London 2012 be the greenest Games ever?

Environmental health has been at the centre of the London 2012 Olympics, and as the games get underway, Michael McCarthy from the Independent has looked to assess whether this year's Games will indeed by the greenest yet.

Olympic organisers have spent nine years trying to minimise damage and maintain a sustainable environment. Their efforts have come to a head this month, as millions of spectators descend upon the Olympic park for a summer of athletic competition.

An event such as the Olympics, placed on an already bustling capital city has the potential of causing significant environmental damage. From waste generation to carbon emissions, there has been a mammoth task placed on the hands of Olympic organisers to create an event which will not be tarnished by the mess it leaves behind.

The scalability of the event is what prompted organisers to use the word 'sustainability' rather than 'environment'. That is because they feel it has a greater reach than merely green matters, and adds equity and social inclusion to the equation.

The notion of sustainability over environment may have been one of the reasons London was successful in its bid to host the Olympics. David Stubbs, head of sustainability for the organising committee, has been a big part of the program since 2003, and has spent a great deal of time planning the legacy in the area of east London whose regeneration the games have made possible.

Attention has been on several key themes, such as transport, food and waste, and low carbon emissions. Starting with the latter, we can see that there has been substantial success in creating a low carbon games. Estimated carbon footprint published in 2009 showed a 20 per cent reduction on the initial estimate.

Renewable energy hasn’t quite hit initial expectations, but still contributes to a significant proportion of all energy supplied. The initial target was 20 per cent, but it is now expected to be closer to 11 per cent of all energy supplied.

In other areas, such as public transport and zero waste targets, there has been a similar level of muted success on very ambitious targets. It is clear to see that the Games set out to smash previous records and make a lasting impression. Although these targets may not have been hit in every department, London 2012 may still be considered to be the greenest games ever.

Posted by Lauren Steadman