ParalympicsGB go green for London 2012
EDF Energy believes in celebrating the achievements of all Olympic athletes. Particularly the dedication and accomplishments of Paralympic athletes across the world.
So they’re working with Paralympics GB to create the first truly green national Paralympic Team for London 2012. The initiative will seek to improve energy use in key areas including travel, accommodation and food provision.
It’s not easy being green. Or becoming a Paralympian.
ParalympicsGB will work with London 2012 Sustainability Partner EDF Energy in order to make all their training preparation camps for the Games more sustainable, reducing the environmental impact of the camps and influencing the behaviour of athletes and coaches.
Multi gold medal winning Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson has given her backing.
‘The intention is for excellence in everything we do on and off the track. Now we want to strive for excellence to become a cleaner and greener team, too. The principles are the same – breaking down everything, analysing it and seeing what improvements we can make, individually and collectively.
‘The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be life changing in many ways for many people and the sustainability message is a big part of this. I’m delighted that ParalympicsGB, working with EDF Energy, are leading by example.’
Training to be greener
The training camps are held at the University of Bath. Working closely with ParalympicsGB, EDF Energy’s sustainability team has already audited January’s camp and the university site.
The project will have two elements. Working with the University to reduce the footprint of the camp itself, looking at areas like energy consumption, recycling facilities and food sourcing. And then focusing on educating and influencing the behaviour of the athletes, coaches and officials.
Improving performance through efficiency
Using ironman triathlete Toby Radcliffe, EDF Energy’s event sustainability consultant, the athletes will be encouraged to complete a detailed online energy advisor survey. Individual reports will show how energy efficient their residency is and provide a range of ways to improve performance.
Portable plug-in ‘EcoManager’ energy monitors for every athlete allow them to see the impact of different electrical devices in terms of energy used, carbon dioxide released and the cost in pounds. This helps them make informed choices about their energy consumption wherever their training takes them.
Winning the race against climate change
Gareth Wynn, EDF Group Director, 2012 Programme, added: “Sustainability is at the heart of EDF Energy and we believe that London 2012 is a unique opportunity to show that Britain is leading the world, not just on the track or in the water, but in the race against climate change.
“As an official supporter of ParalympicsGB, we relish the opportunity to use our energy efficiency expertise to help the team to perform smarter and become truly sustainable by 2012 and beyond.”