The BBC reports that London 2012 has teamed up with environmental groups WWF and BioRegional to form the concept of “One Planet Olympics”, an idea based on the environmental groups’ One Planet Living campaign which says global consumption and pollution levels need to be brought back within the Earth’s ability to absorb the demands humans place upon it.
David Stubbs, head of environment for the London 2012 team, says the idea will help people make the link between sport and the environment. “We decided that we needed something that gave us a vision to our proposals. We felt One Planet Olympics encapsulated a lot of the values of the Olympic movement and global (environmental concerns)”.
Stubbs admits that at the moment it is difficult for people to see what environmental impact the Games will have, but it is something he plans to rectify. “What we would like to do is publish a baseline of commitments and objectives so people can see in an easy format what we are really trying to achieve”.
In the final days of lobbying ahead of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) crucial visit to London, the bid team pushed the concept of “legacy”, reports the BBC.
Stubbs says this was all part of the strategy to bring the Games to London. “Legacy is almost a synonym of sustainability. We used the shorthand of legacy because it is something the IOC really understands”.
The BBC reports that the legacy stage of the London 2012 Games will begin soon after the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games in September 2012. It will include the removal of temporary venues, converting the Olympic Village into social housing and the landscaping of the Olympic Park. Some aspects of the legacy stage, such as job creation and improvements to the local environment, are set to continue to 2020 and beyond.
