Olympics chief spreads sustainability message

A LEADING figure in the organisation of the London 2012 Olympics has told Yorkshire business leaders how the Games will encourage “more sustainable living” across the UK.

Dan Epstein, who is head of sustainability at the £9bn Olympic Park in London was in Yorkshire to explain how infrastructure work on the 2012 Games is driving the green agenda.

Mr Epstein, who was speaking at the The Green Gateways Business Club dinner hosted by design, engineer and business consultants, Arup and law firm, Cobbetts at the City Inn hotel in Leeds, said: “We want to use the Games as a catalyst for change, for the regeneration of and improvement of quality of life in East London and encourage more sustainable living across the whole of the UK.

“Our approach is based on the World Wildlife Fund’s/BioRegional concept of ‘One Planet Living’, to help us live within the world’s resources, rather than using three planets’ worth of resources as we currently do in the UK.”

Mr Epstein, a member of the Olympic Delivery Authority explained the approach to constructing 15 buildings and massive new infrastructure over a 500 acre site to an audience including the regional head of the Institute of Directors, Pro Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitain University, chief executives of CO2 Sense Yorkshire and Leeds Ahead, offices heads and directors of businesses including KPMG, Lambert Smith Hampton, Opera North, City Land Developments, Northern Foods and Yorkshire Bank – as well as several senior council executives. 

Students from Gateways school, Harewood, who invited Mr Epstein to speak, designed a special Yorkshire menu for the event.

Nigel Foster, of Arup, said: “We are delighted that major companies, as well as regional powerhouses, came to hear about the importance of new ways of working from the UK’s largest and most innovative project.”

Guy Jackson, head of the Leeds office of Cobbetts, added: “Yorkshire has attracted considerable interest through its ambitious sustainability programme; it is good to see young people actively engaged in working with businesses across the region to help ensure the continued development of that programme for their future.”