First Sustainable Olympic Games: London 2012

The 2012 London Olympic Games is being described as the first sustainable Olympics. A recent CNN article explains that the site of the London games (500 acres with new buildings and landscaping) was once a rundown and polluted section of the city. David Stubbs, the head of sustainability for the games, is quoted as saying sustainability was a key reason for London’s selection as the 2012 host city. He highlighted the emphasis on recycling and reuse. For example, many of the Olympic Park’s bridges were constructed with steel mesh filled with stones and rubble from the demolition of the site’s old buildings. Other examples of sustainability include the planting of thousands of new wetland plants, trees, and bulbs and using temporary seating and venues. The Olympic Stadium is also the lightest ever built using one- tenth of the steel needed to construct the previous summer Olympic stadium in Beijing. Part of the stadium’s roof was made with surplus gas pipelines. Other goals of the 2012 London Olympic Games, as described in its Pre-Games Sustainability Report, include (1) being the first zero waste-to-landfill games, (2) providing a “low-carbon” games, and (3) promoting sustainable living, among others.