Unfortunately, the “Greenest Olympics” goals from the London 2012 organizers are looking increasingly likely to not be met, according to Olympics organizers. The goal was to have at least 20% of the energy for the games from new local renewable sources, but a lack of large-scale infrastructure ready for the summer of 2012 makes that goal very difficult, says David Stubbs, head of sustainability at the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

The Olympics organizers still expect the London Olympics to be the greenest games ever, with the construction of biomass biolers, and biomass plant, and over 50,000 square meters of solar panels constructed for the games.

Though it’s unfortunate that the LOCOG failed at their goals, they still made wonderful progress, and we should all be pleased with that.

These zero emissions fuels cell powered taxis were unveiled this week in London, and it’s worth a trip to London just to see this in action! This taxis run on hydrogen fuel cells, have a top speed of 80mph, a range of 250 miles, and can be recharged in just 5 minutes! And the only thing they emit is water! The city is also planning on adding four hydrogen powered buses later this year. Good job, London!

photo by tompagenet

The Commission for Sustainable London 2012 wants the Olympic site to embrace food growing as part of a sustainable legacy, but is this possible? The soil on the Olympic site at Stratford was heavily contaminated with asbestos, batteries, and even some radioactive material, and has already undergone a £364 million cleaning, including washing the soil and capping contaminants to keep them in the ground. Clearly further work must be done if food growing is to be done on site.

How far is the Commission for Sustainable London 2012 willing to go? That’s certainly up for debate, and finances – especially with current economic troubles in mind – will play a large part in the decision. While most want a sustainable future for the Olympics and for London, if the cost is too high, money will be better spent elsewhere.

View more at Telegraph London

With the massive power needs of the London Olympics, the organizers have come up with a surprising and brilliant idea – harness foot power from the millions of London visitors to help offset the power needs. It’s expected that a few well-placed pavement slabs could power streetlights, train stations, or even send excess power back to the grid. It’s a great idea, and the Olympics will be the perfect showcase!

Read more at thestar.com