The Commission has today published its final review before the Games. Entitled Breaking the tape, the Annual Review 2011, assures progress on sustainability across the London 2012 Programme with a focus on how the Games experience will be distinctly sustainable for different client groups.
The Commission’s review has examined a range of factors including waste, energy, food and transport. The analysis shows that the London 2012 Games have made significant achievements in these areas and many others, paving the way for long-term legacy benefits, which could help businesses, event organisers and local communities.
Furthermore, London 2012 is the first Games to provide governance over sustainability issues: applying international standards for sustainable events and reporting; and using the Commission in its role of independent assurance.
Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said: “London 2012 will be a uniquely sustainable Olympics and Paralympics. This is the first Games to place such a coordinated emphasis on sustainability.
“We’ve been, for the most part, very impressed by the hard work that’s gone into planning a sustainable Games. What we as a Commission want to see is those plans transferring into practice on the day, because if that doesn’t happen, the ability to call these Games truly sustainable would obviously be in doubt.”
Some examples of what the Commission will be monitoring at the Games:
Waste: LOCOG has a well-prepared waste strategy which is both ambitious and novel; however, test events revealed some concerns with waste segregation. The Commission will want to see that waste is being properly segregated for recycling or reuse.
Food: The application of the Food Vision deserves wide praise, particularly in the face of challenges such as the provision of MSC-certified fish. The Commission will be ensuring that the untested fully-catered venues live up to the promise of extensive variety and diversity of the food on offer.
Energy: The Commission’s Pre-Games review highlights the late development of LOCOG’s energy conservation plan, which will play a vital role in meeting targets. It is essential that this plan is finalised and then implemented on the ground by venue managers. The Commission will pay close attention to this during the Games.
Active Travel and the ‘public transport Games’: The Commission will be monitoring whether the principle of active travel is being upheld during the Game. The Commission will want to see who exactly is accredited for the Olympic Route Network and to see no additional parking advertised as part of hospitality packages.
Beyond 2012
Whilst London 2012 is on track to achieve a uniquely sustainable Games with major successes won and no doubt more to come, as with any major event, there is always room for improvement.
The Commission is developing a series of roundtable discussions entitled Beyond 2012 to take forward the sustainability lessons from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The roundtables, which will take place in late 2012 and early 2013, are intended to unlock new thinking and challenge established views around sustainability. Output from the series will be compiled into a publicly available report detailing key recommendations, case studies and areas for further consideration.
Each roundtable will be professionally facilitated and will focus on one topic. Areas include transport, construction and infrastructure, supply chain, food, sponsorship, legacy, events and assurance. To ensure that each roundtable provides valuable and actionable insights, the Commission will be inviting expert individuals from a range of backgrounds and organisations to have an open and honest conversation.
The Annual Review can be downloaded here.
