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| January 24, 2007 | Wednesday | Muharram 04, 1428 |
‘London 2012 will be greenest Games ever’
LONDON, Jan 23: The 2012 London Olympics will be the most enviromentally friendly Games in modern times, according to a report published on Tuesday.
With exactly 2,012 days remaining before the torch is lit in London's east End, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has disclosed a strategy spelling out its green credentials.
The ODA, the body responsible for the estimated 3.5 billion pounds ($6.91 billion) project for the Olympic Park and sporting venues, says sustainable transport, energy efficiency and minimising waste are its three main goals.
“We want to ensure London 2012 is remembered not only as two weeks of fantastic sporting action, but also as the 'Greenest Games' in modern times,” David Higgins, the chief executive of the ODA, said on Tuesday.
“This strategy is unprecedented for a development of this nature and signals a watershed moment in the delivery of sports facilities in the UK.”
“Sustainability runs through all we are doing -- through the design and construction of venues, the sourcing and use of energy, the re-use of waste materials and the use of sustainable transport routes such as the waterways in the centre of the Olympic Park.”
The creation of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, announced on Tuesday, will ensure each phase of the project, described as the biggest city park in Europe for 150 years, will be scrutinised.
According to London organisers it is the first time such a body has been set up in association with an Olympic Games.
Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organising committee (LOCOG), said the strategy underlined the commitment made to the IOC during the bidding process for the Games.
“We will host our Games in a new era aimed at staging the Games in more sustainable ways,” he said.
“Sustainability and caring for our planet and its resources is a global issue and we intend to set the very highest standards and legacy for other Games to follow.”
The green pledge has also been welcomed by Prime Minister Tony Blair and various environmental groups.
In an interview in The Guardian, Blair said: “The 2012 games will be the catalyst for one of the most extensive urban and environmental regeneration programmes ever seen in the UK.
“We will use sustainable building methods, renewable energy and low emission transport, all with the purpose of reducing the carbon footprint.”
The key parts of the strategy include reusing or recycling 90 percent of demolition material, a 50 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions associated with the Olympic Park by 2013 and the creation of 80km of walking and cycling routes. - Reuters
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