The tick of the big green Olympic clock

Team green Great Britain flag

The tick of the clock is getting even louder as the official 1 year countdown to the Olympics has begun. And Opulent Ethics is excited to learn just how green and environmentally friendly the Olympic site is going to be.

One of the poorest areas in London, Stratford, is being cleaned up and renovated in order for it to house the Olympic buildings.

Stratford was an area of industry just 50 years ago and the legacy of those years of disrepute was polluted waterways and soil, unused transport links and large areas or prime real estate remaining unused.

Artists impression of the green Olympic site

Whilst the Olympics has already had a massive impact on the arts as funds are diverted from courses, incubation schemes and funding programmes, having a huge effect on many of us, it is nice to see that what is being done with this money is going to make a positive change for the future.  

Whilst the building work continues there are thousands of jobs, 25% of which are going to people from the local area, and apprenticeship schemes are in place to help improve the education and skill set of the next generation.

The largest park or green area for many generations will be left behind after the temporary structures are removed and the remaining housing will be used partly as low cost accommodation for the poorer sectors of society. And 90% of the materials which are used during the construction of the site will be reused or recycled in the future.

Furthermore, the canal has been dredged and cleaned and both this and the railway line have been improved and repaired and are now in full working order. These are being used to transport 50% of the construction materials in and out of the site and are replacing trucks on the road which ties in with the site's attempts to be constructed with as low a carbon footprint as possible.

For all involved in constructing the Olympic park and running the actual games, the hope is that this will be the greenest Olympics to date. The intention is for 20% of the energy used in the Olympic park to come from renewable sources, energy efficient technology will be used to supply electricity, heat and cool buildings and provide hot water and a biomass boiler will be used to burn recycled woodchip as a power source. And, if that wasn't enough, a wind turbine which will stand on the site will produce enough electricity to power 1000 homes.

So, despite the negative effect on the jewellery and other arts industries with the removal of much needed funding, the Olympics are proving positive for many by providing a sustainable, cleaner site for us all to use in the future, some cheaper, cleaner housing for those in need and the first park to be built within London in 150 years. And that can't be a bad thing!

That's all for now....