Green Olympics

In the age of environmental awareness, it is not surprising that one of the main factors leading to the International Olympic Committee’s decision to select London as the host city for the 2012 Games was the British capital’s detailed proposals for making the event as sustainable as possible.

Since the Centennial Olympic Congress, held in Paris in September 1994, the relationship between sports and the environment has been high in the IOC’s list of priorities. Certain principles were adopted at that occasion, including the inclusion of environmental considerations into the entity’s decision-making procedure and requiring ecological studies in the process of evaluating cities bidding to host the Olympic Games.

These concerns are now taken into account throughout the lifecycle of an Olympic Games project, with regular follow-up by the authorities in the host country during the planning, preparation, administration and holding of the competition. For the IOC, the "Green Games" concept is increasingly a priority.

Going green

Despite being primarily about sports and athletes, the Olympics can bring several important environmental outcomes if they are planned, managed and conducted in a way which minimizes the adverse environmental impacts and effects. The Games can also be used to provide sustainable environmental legacies, such as rehabilitated and revitalised sites, increased environmental awareness, and improved environmental policies and practices.

Beijing has created an environmental logo

Importantly, these legacies can occur whether or not a bid is successful. For example, a bid may include the regeneration of a degraded area of a city for an Olympic Games venue and the establishment of a public open space which goes ahead during the bid and is completed even if the city is not awarded the Games.

To further the principles established in 1994, the Olympic Movement adopted in 1999 a document called Agenda 21. This was based on a global action plan with the same name developed at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. The document lays out significant provisions for the active involvement of the global sports community in the protection and safeguarding of the environment, from the IOC to local clubs and individual athletes themselves.

Eco-Olympiad

At the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, facilities were built with a homogeneous Norwegian design to fit the traditional culture, and in a way that respected the ecosystem. Natural and biodegradable construction materials, such as wood, stone and recyclable paper, were used instead of more typical options. And every contract signed with a partner or supplier had an ‘environmental charter’ incorporated into it.

Worker installs a solar panel at one of Sydney's venues

For the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Australian people planted over 100,000 trees, supplied the Olympic Village with solar energy, used buses with natural gas, and collected and recycled rainwater for irrigation. Moreover, 400,000 worms were ‘recruited’ in order to consume the leftovers of the employees' cafeteria. As a result, the cost of waste removal and treatment decreased, while during the Games, all food remains became natural fertiliser.

The last Winter Games in Torino were also praised for the environmental measures and commitments made by the Organising Committee. These included a seven-year carbon neutral programme for the Games and blending the ski jump venue into the landscape through design which considered the natural contours of the location.

The case for London

London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are hoped to be the 'greenest' games in history. The ambitious claim is backed by an impressive plan to revitalise East London, starting by the reclaiming of contaminated land. The area where the Olympic Village will be located, the Lower Lea Valley, has great potential as an environmental zone with its unique network of waterways and marshland. At the moment, the region is described as a ‘brownfield site’, meaning it is underdeveloped, derelict, contaminated or vacant. It will now set to become the biggest new park London has seen since Victorian times.

The Games will also provide the chance to implement environmentally friendly policies. All construction projects before and after the event will minimise waste, pollution and the impact on London’s wildlife habitats. The Games organisers will adopt and promote sustainable procurement and design practices, and use every opportunity to educate Londoners, and especially young people, about the importance of sustainable development. No permanent structures will be built on spaces like Hackney Green and London Fields, known as ‘greenfield sites’. All lasting London 2012 buildings will be erected on reclaimed brownfield areas.

London's Olympic Javelin will link St Pancras and Stratford

In addition, London aims to make the 2012 Games a totally car-free event, only allowing disabled drivers private car access to the Olympic venues. The huge investments in public transport infrastructure will allow athletes and tourists alike to easily reach all locations. Ten lines will be serving the Olympic Park, with trains set to arrive every 15 seconds. Air transport will also be minimised with the conclusion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, through which travellers from continental Europe will be able to reach Stratford in 45 minutes.

The London Games also herald a first-ever agreement between the Organising Committee, conservation group WWF and sustainable development experts BioRegional. This pact is based on the promise that London will host a zero-waste, low carbon Games which deliver long-term social and environmental benefits to the city. Together, they are working to promote and develop ‘One Planet Olympics’ in order to implement the Agenda 21 practices in the most effective way.

“Hosting the Games is not just about avoiding harm to the environment and local communities,” Robert Napier, Chief Executive of WWF-UK told the London 2012 website. “It is also a real opportunity to bring about lasting environmental and social improvement.”

More reading

London 2012
IOC
Agenda 21 (PDF file)
Towards a One Planet Olympics (PDF file) 

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