For six weeks in the summer of 2012, the eyes of the world will be on London as the city hosts the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The 2012 Games will give people from around the world the opportunity to compete and to share cultures and friendship alongside the sporting events.

The Games are a sporting and cultural event on a unique scale, but they are a lot more than that. They are an opportunity to show off the best that the host nation can offer. They give organisers the chance to demonstrate excellence in the way that the Games are planned and staged, and in the legacy of benefits that they create, both directly and through inspiring changes in behaviour among people across the world.

London put sustainability at the heart of its bid for the 2012 Games, framed by the concept of ‘Towards a One Planet Olympics’. This was derived from the WWF/BioRegional concept of ‘One Planet Living®’1, which encapsulates the challenges facing us in stark and compelling terms: if everybody in the world lived the same lifestyle as we do in the UK, we would need three planets’ worth of resources to support us. As the most high-profile event in the world, the Games give us the chance to show how changes to the way we build, live, work, do business and travel could help us to live happy and healthy lives, within the resources available to us.

Social, economic and environmental sustainability – and the One Planet Living® concept – remain central to the vision for 2012. This document brings this vision up to date and forms the basis for how London 2012 and our partners intend to achieve sustainable Games. It sets out:

– our achievements so far;
– details of key commitments and targets; and
– the challenges that still face us.

Much of this document focuses on the Olympic Park development, the principal construction site for the Games in the Lower Lea Valley of east London. This is a reflection of the current programme priorities and the relatively early stage we are at in terms of operational planning with just under five years still to go to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on 27 July 2012. However, we have a programme-wide commitment to sustainability, which will apply across all venues and Games-related activities, wherever and whenever they come on stream.

This is a live document, presented against the backdrop of a fast-moving programme: as the programme evolves, we will track progress, review content and issue annual updates. This first issue of the London 2012 Sustainability Plan does not provide detailed information on Games-time operations, or legacy plans. These, along with specific performance indicators and reporting requirements are work in progress and will be presented in future editions.
Sustainability itself is a rapidly evolving discipline; new methods and technologies are continually being developed.

As we move from preparing for the Games, to staging them, to converting venues and facilities for legacy uses we need to be able to respond to new situations and take advantage of new practices. For these reasons we are committed to a process of continual improvement and welcome feedback from and dialogue with interested stakeholders to help us achieve the best outcomes for sustainability throughout this project.

‘Everyone has a part to play in making the Games and their legacy a success.’

Download Towards A One Planet 2012

PDF format, 4.2MB, 68Pages.

Contents:
Introduction 4
Climate change 14
Waste 24
Biodiversity 30
Inclusion 38
Healthy living 46
Managing continuous improvement 52
Annexe A 59
– From One Planet Living® to legacy promises
Annexe B 60
– London 2012 Sustainability Policy
Annexe C 62
– Background documents and more information
Annexe D 63
– London 2012 Diversity Statement

London 2012
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LN
Reception +44 (0) 0203 2012 000
www.london2012.com

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