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Sustainability commission raises Olympic concerns
The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 has raised concerns over the sustainability legacy of the Olympic Park in its recently-published annual report.
The Raising the Bar report said that while the commission was optimistic that the Games will deliver against the sustainability promises the ODA has made, it is concerned that "the ambition to use the Games to inspire more sustainable behaviour will not be fully realised".
In the report's executive summary, the commission's chair, Shaun McCarthy, said: "Broad promises have been made in official documents to 'make the Olympic Park a blueprint for sustainable living' and 'to be a catalyst for new waste management infrastructure in east London'.
"With the exception of a few worthy initiatives, there is no comprehensive plan to make this happen. Furthermore, it is not clear what definitions lie behind these expressions or who is responsible for making them happen. With just over two years before the Games move to Rio, never to return to London, these issues need to be resolved."
The commission said that by the time the park is handed over to the Olympic Park Legacy Company in 2013, it expects that:
• The sustainability objectives delivered by the ODA will be common practice in the construction industry and mandatory for all major public sector construction • The UK construction industry will have adopted targets for reducing embodied carbon impacts and will have clear guidance on how to do this
• A clear definition of a "blueprint for sustainable living" will be developed for the Olympic Park, in terms of the standards expected of developers, the way in which people will live differently and how they will be encouraged to do so • Plans will be in place for the Olympic Park to become a zero carbon development area by 2016
• Plans will be in place for substantial development of organic waste facilities in East London to supply renewable fuel for the Olympic Park and other developments • There will be a step change in the major events industry that enables measurable and assured improvements in sustainability
• Athletes, officials, spectators and TV viewers will recall London 2012 as being distinctive for its sustainability
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