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2012 and beyond

June 19, 2012   |   Posted by Shaun McCarthy

Breaking the tape

When I first became involved in the London 2012 Programme in 2005 it all seemed a long way off. Visiting Beijing in 2008 the London Games still seemed a distant vision. Now we are nearly there and we need to consider whether London 2012 will offer a unique sustainable experience and, probably more importantly, consider the lessons learned and how we go beyond 2012 to capture the momentum towards a more sustainable future. This week sees our final comprehensive review before the Games. In it we recognise the excellent work done by the ODA, LOCOG and many other organisations to …

You spin me right round!

June 13, 2012   |   Posted by Emma Synnott

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It was a fabulous balmy evening when I found myself talking with a very earnest engineer about the mysterious world of the supply chain of wooden pallets – perhaps not notable other than to state the obvious – we sustainability geeks tend to stick together on matters like this.  The event and the venue on the other hand made this conversation very interesting indeed.  We were perched on a balcony overlooking the Olympic Park in a building constructed in just eight weeks – all fine, providing you don’t sneeze or lean on anything!  In fact, we were enjoying the ambience of Cisco House and we were there to join in the first networking event for the Circular Economy. ‘The Circular Economy’ at face value sounds like some kind of dubious merry-go-round involving strange job-creation programmes and maybe a giant swap-meet. But far from some weird ponzie scheme, the concept has legs.  In fact, it was recently given prominence by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation whose profound report by the same name highlights the value to the UK Economy of making sure resources are truly optimised from the first time they are used (cradle) to the time they are re-used (grave-cradle) in some …