Like Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, this is an aspirational award. London is not usually ranked as one of the world’s most sustainable cities, but it’s a hard market to crack when you’ve got a sprawling population in one of the oldest industrialized regions of the world. They have to erase old habits that reach a lot farther back in time than say that of Curitiba’s, but I have faith in the soggy old Brits. A perfect example of their eagerness to change is their 2012 successful bid for the Olympics – successful because it was entirely underscored by their desire to promote sustainability.
“As the most high-profile event in the world, the 2012 Games will provide an opportunity to show off the best that the host city and nation have to offer,” London’s 2012 Sustainability Plan states. “This will be achieved in several ways: by pioneering new approaches to sustainability, changing people’s behavior through the power of sponsorship, media, and communications, inspiring new standards of sustainability in construction, events and hospitality sectors, influencing our supply chain to adapt more sustainable practices, and transferring our learning and knowledge.” …All in time for 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol in set to expire.
Furthermore, Olympic Park will become a blue-print for sustainable living. Set in the now less-than-desirable East London, it is hoped that the Olympics will serve as a mechanism for sustainable regeneration for this part of the city. For now, it is still just words on paper, but they are pretty words indeed. I’d say if you’re looking for a happening New Year’s place (or comfortable recovery zone), let’s give London the benefit of the doubt – they’re moving in the right direction even if right now, it’s just verbally. “If you build it, they will come” right?
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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