Perhaps that’s a bit of a Hackneyed post title (the puns may be lost on anyone not familiar with London’s East End—which may be a good thing; as I was once told, laugh and the world laughs with you, pun and you laugh alone). As originally conceived, the upcoming summer Olympic games in London’s East End would attempt to rival
Vancouver’s 2010 sustainability efforts. Some initiatives, like a
giant wind turbine, have fallen by the wayside, but organizers (or organisers, if you prefer) remain committed to
“going for the green” although green watchdog groups
have been questioning that commitment.
It’s not hard to see why. Although there is no shortage of public transport options in London, including buses, trams, and the Underground,
“a fleet of BMWs would ferry VIPs around London during the games.” Sure, that fleet will comprise “clean diesel” and electric-only vehicles, but even so, how green are they really? Other smaller-scale initiatives include compostable food packaging and Coca-Cola’s plans to collect and recycle soft drink bottles.
Mother Nature Network has a rundown of some of the other sustainability plans underway for the 2012 games. And anyone venturing over for the games (or just to enjoy London) can go green by investigating the UK’s
Green Tourism Scheme. (Maybe it’s just me, but the British use of the word “scheme”—which just means “plan”—always makes things sound a bit nefarious!)