The government’s pledge for the “greenest-ever” Olympics has fallen short, according to a critical new study from environmental groups. BioRegional and WWF say the Olympics will fail to have a positive impact on public health and waste unnecessary energy and resources.
According to the report, many opportunities have been lost. The amount of renewable energy generated will not cover that used, and the Games will neither have zero waste nor be carbon neutral as promised. The two campaign groups also said that clean air targets are likely to be missed and that more Fairtrade and locally-grown produce could have been used if it wasn’t for the influence of commercial partners and sponsors.
Sue Riddlestone of BioRegional said the group is especially disappointed that the Olympic Committee has failed to meet its targets in regard to renewable energy. She added that many of the promises made during the bid for the Olympics in 2005 have not been met, despite perhaps the best intentions.
In its defence, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said that expectations had increased since the environmental blue prints for the Games were drawn up eight years ago, and that it had met the majority of its targets. Speaking to The Guardian, head of sustainability for the Games, David Stubbs, said they kept the spirit of a green Olympics, even if they did not reach the high bar set in every department.