Prevue September/October 2011 - (Page 28)

“What I would look for if I were in a planner’s shoes would be for the authentic, stuff that is really meaningful... demonstrable.” Below: Olympic Velodrome, London The Olympic Velodrome is the Games’ most sustainably constructed venue. It has wood siding certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and it’s 100% naturally ventilated, for starters. After the Games, the space will be converted into a cool mountain bike park for both public use and private hire. Just 20 miles north of Olympic Park, the Lee Valley White Water Centre is located on the edge of the 1,000-acre River Lee Country Park, which was badly in need of restoration. Open for business this year, it is also an economic catalyst expected to attract 70,000 visitors a year. The Centre will be home to the Olympic Canoe Slalom events, where athletes in canoes and kayaks navigate around poles in whitewater conditions. The waves are created by a series of pumps that can be adjusted to create up to Class IV rapids, and right now the facility is hosting corporate teambuilding competitions in canoes, kayaks and whitewater rafts. We asked Fiona Pelham where she takes socially conscious groups in London for dining. She likes The People’s Supermarket in Bloomsbury—“a sustainable food cooperative that responds to the needs of the local community.” It’s 100% owned by community members with a strong social mission to “recycle, reuse, reduce” and even provide professional development for members. Pelham also recommends events at the futuristic new Siemens Sustainability Centre near Olympic Park, opening early 2012. It’s an anchor of East London’s new “Green Enterprise District.” The slick crystal-shaped facility includes a science-based attraction showcasing clean tech advances around the world, expected to attract 100K visitors a year. There is also a 30,000-sf exhibition hall and 300-seat auditorium. HAMBURG: INDUSTRIAL CHIC LONDON: GAMES THEORY We spoke with a few suppliers who are going out of their way to help decrease the carbon footprint of events held in their destination. We’ll start with the world’s biggest event. The holistic approach to sustainability for next year’s London Olympics is building on the success of the last four Games in Sydney, Salt Lake, Beijing and Vancouver. The UK government commissioned a study to see how it could leverage the Games even more to drive environmental behavior change. Entitled “Games Theory,” the project provides 19 principles “for seizing the opportunities to change behavior at any large scale event.” Check it out at futerra.co.uk. The setting for the Games is itself a sustainability coup. The Olympic Park in the Royal Docklands has been transformed into the largest urban park in Europe built in the last 150 years, accomplished after cleaning over two million tons of industrialcontaminated earth. A major thrust in the fields of social and eco sustainability is “infilling” to redevelop areas that already exist, specifically those considered undesirable, referred to as “brownfield.” The idea is to limit sprawl and regentrify inner urban areas, which has massive implications for many American cities. That was the case with the unused HafenCity port on the Elbe River in Hamburg, fenced off for decades from residents until 2003. Planning began in the early 1990s to repopulate the industrial waterfront area with mixed use developments that would celebrate the maritime history and aesthetic of the port and adjacent Speicherstadt warehouse district. So successful in drawing investors and residents with its industrial chic vision, HafenCity is the primary reason behind Hamburg earning the European Green City 2011 designation. The redevelopment at present is the largest in Europe, with final build-out expected in 2025. Group tours begin at Osaka 9 Sustainability Pavilion for a cup of fair trade coffee. 28 | prevue magazine http://futerra.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September/October 2011

Back Bay, Boston
Manchester
Meliá Hotels & Resorts
San Francisco/Denver/Cleveland
HSMAI + Soles4Souls
IRF/MGM Resorts, Las Vegas
Daytona Beach
Sustainability: The Next Big Thing
Central America
India
Sweden
Barcelo Resorts/Samana, DR
Portland

Prevue September/October 2011