Sustainable Olympics: oxymoron or reality?

Article first published in SD Scene. To view article, click here

In July 2005, London was confirmed as the host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bid promised "the most sustainable Games ever". Cynics may say that a global event such as the Olympics is an inherently un-sustainable thing to do; others believe it is a unique opportunity to push the sustainability agenda.

Sustainability is a much misused and misunderstood term. To provide any kind of assurance over sustainability we must first define what we mean when we use this term. For a great example of joined-up social, economic and environmental sustainability, we need look no further than the National Sailing Academy in Weymouth. This will be the sailing venue for the London 2012 Games, and it is finished and being used right now.

The Sailing Academy has a great story to tell. The selection of the venue for the Olympics provided a much-needed economic boost to the area. It is the first project ever to be awarded the highest CEEQUAL award for environmental excellence in civil engineering. The project had significant environmental challenges, such as the need to protect coral, habitats for sea horses and a rare microscopic worm that is unique to this particular bay.

The sailing venue is becoming a social and economic success story. Elite sailors sail in the same water as kids from local schools or families enjoying the local residents' "sail for a fiver" taster days, which gives the venue a very inclusive feeling. The arrival of the Olympics has attracted private developers to build a marina (also partly funded by the ODA) that will be used during the Games but will also attract boat owners and their money. As a result of this an excellent restaurant has been opened nearby with more leisure and shopping facilities to come. All this brings much needed employment to a deprived area.

So, we already have an example of social, economic and environmental sustainability delivered by a combination of social entrepreneurs, public and private funding, but will the rest of the Games live up to these high expectations?

The Olympic Board are committed to "setting new standards of sustainability" for the Games and making the Olympic Park "a blueprint for sustainable living" in legacy. I am convinced that our political leaders are committed to this ideal, but is there solid action behind the political rhetoric?

The biggest environmental impact is the level of greenhouse gases associated with the preparation and staging of the Games. In an unprecedented study, the Olympic delivery bodies have made a detailed calculation of their carbon footprint. The reference footprint of 3.4m tonnes can be reduced to 1.9m tonnes but the residual footprint remains significant. Over 67% of the carbon footprint is embodied in the materials used to construct the facilities; the contribution of flights is much less than I expected. This must be a lesson for the construction industry, which has hitherto focused almost exclusively on the built environment and not on the emissions relating to the process of construction.

Energy efficiency and sourcing are part of the plan to reduce the emissions. This will include a highly efficient power station to produce heat, cooling and electricity from the same engines.
I am encouraging London to go further and develop gas from organic waste to supply the power station to deliver a zero carbon Olympic Park for the next 40 years or more. However, thanks to a sluggish waste industry and a lack of pro-active work from the various public bodies in London, this is unlikely to happen until after the Games. There are challenges ahead. Achieving zero waste to landfill during Games time will be tough, and disposing of all the temporary materials required for the games with minimal landfill impact will be even tougher.

The magic of the Games can help make a difference too. Local authorities radically increased the number of people getting involved in their schemes for the long term unemployed by using the Olympic magic to attract people. London 2012 plans to recruit an army of 70,000 volunteers, with even more being considered for the city operations team to ensure that visitors have a great experience when they come to the Games. This has the potential to change the city's attitude and approach to volunteering and to deliver social change to one of the most disadvantaged areas in Europe. It is also possible to celebrate the diversity of a city where over 300 languages are spoken.

In order to address the oxymoron of "sustainable Games" it is necessary to think outside the box. If the Olympic team can use the power of the Games to change behaviour, such as developing a standard for managing embodied carbon in construction, then we can say that the environmental impact of the investment delivers an environmental return. If we can use the Games to act as a catalyst for regeneration, the disturbance caused by many years of construction work will have been worthwhile, and the event can contribute to the development of a thriving city. 

For more information on the role of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, please click here

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