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Sustainability takes centre stage
28 Jan 2008
Topics: Sustainability, BS 8901, Olympics
The London 2012 Olympic Games will have a significant impact on the city, if not the country. Millions of visitors - including several thousand athletes, officials and volunteers - will swamp the capital. Public transport will be pushed to its limits, while roads risk even greater congestion than usual. Police, politicians and public officials will be galvanized and criticized in the media in equal measure. And the environment will feel the brunt of it all.
Olympic organizers are at the forefront of adopting a new British Standard designed to address this last issue in particular. BS 8901 Specification for a sustainable event management system with guidance for use was launched in November 2007 with the aim of putting sustainability at the heart of the events industry. Everything from a rock concert to a trade show, from arts festival to village fete, will be able to seek BS 8901 certification. The ethos behind the standard is to make sure that events are held in a sustainable manner, with a minimal environmental and social impact.
According to David Stubbs, head of environment for the London 2012 games, he hopes they will become a test bed for ensuring that sustainability is at the heart of the events industry in the future: "We've seen green games before, like Lillehammer in 1994, which was the first to be recognized for its environmental efforts," he says. "Sydney put the environment in their bid for the first time, but that was an innovation on their part rather than a requirement. On the back of that, the IOC started to push this further up the agenda"
The London 2012 bid was conceived, right from the off, as being about more than just a two week festival of sport. It's about what happens after that. To Stubbs, this has two benefits: "The debate has evolved through people looking at the legacy issues of the games. It's now evolved into a more rounded debate about sustainable development and the idea that the games can be an agent for change and a catalyst for urban regeneration."
Given the amount of money being spent and the upheaval for the area involved, making a lasting sustainable contribution to the local area - and the nation as a whole - is crucial.
As part of that, the organizing committee has made the following commitments to ensuring a sustainable legacy:
- a low carbon Games: to reduce the demand for energy and meet it from zero/low carbon and renewable sources; and to showcase how the Olympic Games are adapting to a world increasingly affected y climate change."Hopefully, the wake of what we do will ripple out after we've gone across the rest of the industry and allow others, be they permanent venues or organizers of events, to always up their game and see the benefits of it," says Stubbs.- a low waste Games: to avoid landfill by reducing waste at source, then reusing, recycling and recovering all remaining waste;
- a biodiverse Games: conserving natural habitats and wildlife, improving the quality of urban green space and bringing nature closer to people;
- a showcase for sustainable transport: reducing the need for travel and providing sustainable alternatives to the private car;
- a sustainable legacy from the Games: promoting health and wellbeing through an integrated package of sporting, environmental and cultural initiatives.
However, he is aware that the challenges that many ordinary businesses face when trying to reduce energy usage, contribute to their communities and cut down waste are not helped by a lack of resource.
"One of the dangers is that, given that the games are so big and high profile, staffed by an army of people working on it for seven years, other players in the events business will turn around and say, 'That's fine for you, but we haven't got the resources to do that on a smaller scale'," Stubbs says. "I think that would be the wrong approach. If you break it down, what we're doing is a number of smaller events all at the same time. Look at Earl's Court and Olympia (EC&O), where we're holding the volleyball: that is one event.
"It's a question of scalability," he adds. "If you look at the various elements that go into holding an event, from the catering to the materials you procure to the way you manage offices, transport, energy supply: all these are component parts which any venue, be they sporting, cultural or commercial can apply. If we can use the platform of the Olympics to raise awareness of these issues, then it can only be a good thing and will reach a wider group."
Taking sustainability to court
Emma Wellman agrees. As Halls Services manager at EC&O, one of the UK's leading venue groups, part of her role is to make sure EC&O is pursuing sustainable practices when hosting its events. She says the standard has come out of the recognition that the events industry has to look at itself and make serious changes.
"I came in from a different field and looked at the amount we were throwing away and sending directly to landfill," she says. "I realised we could be making costs savings through recycling. That's where it started."
EC&O has been at the forefront of trialling the new BS 8901 in its operations. The six-week trial was a success and Wellman hopes that by adopting the values embedded in the standard, her suppliers and working partners will see the benefits and join the efforts to make sure the events industry is meeting the standard.
"We've started to engage with our suppliers. We've said this is where we're going and asked what their plans were for this," she says. "We also ask whether we can help. Some of our suppliers are doing some great stuff, but others are terrible. While we have the contracts and agreements in place, we can't insist they change, but contracts come up for renewal and that's when we get the chance to state our expectations. When they are renegotiated, we can make sure they demonstrate their commitment."
For more information, visit:www.bsigroup.com/jan08bs8901
Business Standards © 2010. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with The British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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