Olympics 2012 Greenwash Gold Awards
Olympic Values
When I think about what the modern day Olympic Games stand for and promote, the first thing that comes to mind is a worldwide celebration of sporting excellence and a coming together of communities and countries from around the globe.
Sporting events such as the Olympics have a very unique and special place on the world stage, as it is a time when people forget their differences for a few short weeks and focus all their energy into a single united event. This is a time when the entire world’s media attention is pinpointed on one place, and in 2012 that attention was directed at the UK.
Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Movement saw in the Games an ideal opportunity to develop a set of universal principles – or Values – that could be applied to education and to society as a whole, as well as to sport itself.
These Values, as they appear on the London2012 website are:
- respect – fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment
- excellence – how to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life; taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives
- friendship – how, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences
Environmentally Friendly and Ethically Aware
As far as sporting events are concerned, the event has been hugely successful, but sadly the organisation, funding, and ethical issues which have been raised leave us with one hell of a nasty taste in our mouths.
The London 2012 organising committee announced to the world that they were going to be putting on an environmentally friendly and ethically aware event, in spite of this, it seems as if pound signs were flashing in front of their eyes when they decided which partners and sponsors to sign up with.
You might have thought that with the whole world looking and younger generations watching the event with impressionable eyes that they would have been very selective in who they chose to partner with; however, looking down the list of sponsors, it appears that both environment and ethics quickly fell to the wayside.
The Best of the Bunch?
When we dig a little deeper into who exactly the Olympic sponsors are, what we discover is quite simply disgusting. A number of companies have been highlighted by the Greenwash Gold 2012 Blog, which held a vote for readers to decide upon the worst offending sponsors. Rio Tinto ended up with the gold medal for their participation in the games, which is rather ironic as they were actually the providers of the Olympic medals!
Above: The Greenwash Gold Award Ceremony in Trafalgar Square
Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto are a huge British based company who have worldwide operations in different mining and extraction processes and their company image is certainly not one to be proud of!
The local people in the surrounding areas of many of the mines and quarries have been battling against Rio Tinto for a number of years due to the large scale pollution problems they have afflicted. One example of this is their mine in Utah, which is said to be responsible for over 30% of the air pollution in the area. Incidentally the air quality is so poor that over 1,000 people die each year as a result of this pollution.
The Utah facility is one of the locations that the metal for the Olympic medals actually came from, which just goes to show how much the Olympic Committee care about their green credentials! There are numerous other cases from all over the world, where Rio Tinto have shown less regard for the health of the local people and environment than they have for their profits.
BP
Another company which was in the running for the Greenwash Gold award was the huge oil company BP. Now surely it would not have taken much detective work to find out that BP are actually one of the most environmentally destructive companies on Earth, yet this point obviously seemed irrelevant to the members of the Organising committee who were cashing in on the sponsorship deal.
What sort of exampling are we setting for the rest of the world when companies such as these are being advertised at a supposedly ‘environmentally aware’ event? BP are involved in the extraction of limited natural resources from the Earth and they make billions of pounds each year from the destruction and pollution of our planet; yet they are plastered all over billboards, products, venues, and media programs, being praised as positive Olympic partners.
They even went as far as to shut down their solar power department recently as it was deemed to be unprofitable. What sort of ethical and environmental message is that sending out? Amazingly, to top it all off, BP were actually given the Sustainability Partner award by the organisers of the games!
DOW Chemical Company
The third company that were being considered for the gold medal for the Greenwash Gold Award were the DOW Chemical Company. Dow has one of the worst customer relations and environmental track records of any company out there, and it seems almost unbelievable that the Olympic Games would want to associate themselves with business like this.
From chemical spillages to air and water pollution, to merging with even more controversial companies than themselves, it seems difficult to see any reason why the games would want to be involved with them……..except for a big pay cheque!
Morality Vs Money
It seems as if money reigns supreme in almost all aspects of society and that even an event which is supposed to be a showcase of sporting talent, ends up being another billboard opportunity for the destructive mega companies of the world.
With huge amounts of people from all over the globe watching, it could have been a great opportunity for the organising committee to highlight some positive, environmentally sound and ethically conscious businesses. They claimed to be striving towards these values, yet when you look down the long list of questionable sponsors it seems as if morality and positive image took a backseat to the large wallets of the multinational giants.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenwashGold
Read MoreGuerrilla Gardening: Community Led Regeneration
When I first heard of the guerrilla gardening concept just a few days ago I was fascinated. Then I realized, I also was a part of this effort while I lived in New York almost twenty years ago.
My Story
Back in 1995, I remember planting bushes and trees on the streets of Corson Avenue and Victory Boulevard in Staten Island, NY. It was the thrill of knowing that green will prevail in spite of the industrialization of this location.
I felt empowered to be a part of this, even if it was only one time. I do not recall asking for permission from property owners, and if not that would be one prime example of guerrilla gardening. Furthermore, I often passed by community gardens present in downtown Manhattan. One of the most famous of all local landscape projects of this type is the Liz Christy Community Garden. It is found on Bowery at Houston Avenue, nearby Second Avenue.
Now this spot resides with permission of the city, so it really is more thought of as a community led regeneration project. However, the name of the organization that is very actively involved in outdoor projects like this is the Green Guerillas. Therefore, it often is referred to as a guerrilla gardening plot.
About the Liz Christy Community Garden
It was founded under the name First Community Garden in 1973. However, the presence of it dates back to the 17th century which then the location of it was Bouwerie and North Street.
From the mid-1970s onward the Green Guerillas took over the planting and care of it. Then, in 1986 it was dedicated to Liz Cristy, it’s founder. Over the past two decades, this garden has continued to flourish as a result of local dedication of passionate community regeneration volunteers.
It is open to anyone who wishes to take a nature walk or sit and relax somewhere along the path of vast shades of wildflowers and diverse types of greens. Pets and children are allowed, as long as they are kept under careful supervision. Anyone also can become a member and after 20 hours of volunteer service they can obtain a garden key.
Any flowers, bushes, or trees planted are there for the enjoyment of all but of course they don’t want anyone to touch-just look! Over the years, fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetable plants have grown here. Guerilla gardening members have also planted redwoods and birches as well as flowering perennials and annuals.
Other New York Gardens
The NY York community led regeneration and guerillas gardening project also has brought continual life to other gardens.
Example sites include Papa and Mama Jones’ Community Garden in Brooklyn, The West Side Community Garden in Manhattan, and the Two Coves Community Garden in Queens.
Flora that can be find in various New York plots include geraniums, trillium, apples, tulips, orchids, and violets. Greens and flowers are implanted year round, and as a result something is always blooming at one of these community led gardens.
New York’s first Community Garden
http://www.lizchristygarden.us/
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London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony
The long awaited London Olympics got off to an inspiring start with a very successful opening ceremony under the direction of British film director and producer, Danny Boyle, known for films such as Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting.
Instead of trying to compete with previous Olympics, Boyle turned this into a uniquely British production, virtually producing a movie using the British people as his cast.
Introduced as “Isles of Wonder” and starting in the green and pleasant rural past, the storyline moved through the industrial capitalism that tore up the tranquility and the earth and its people and raised steel mills and generations of miners and migrants. It told the story of how the Olympic Rings were forged and how the cauldron was created and lit, while telling the story of the people themselves. The design of the torch or cauldron was a reminder that the two threads are inseparable.
The show took 284 rehearsals by 7,500 people who each put in 150 hours… and the energy of Danny Boyle and his ability to forge relationships with everyone from Sebastian Coe to the volunteer meant it all paid off in an amazing production.
Rehearsals took place during some of the worst summer weather in living memory – which often made complex changes of scenery impossible and saw volunteers wringing out the water from drenched hoodies
Boyle made a point of making this a true British production all levels and of the 737 manufacturers and suppliers used, 96% were British.
The rich multi-media production managed to draw in threads from all parts of the fabric of British life, from favourite soap operas to the Beatles and Mr Bean, from inspired dance and music to James Bond and the Queen, paying tribute to some of the great contributions the British have made, including a special tribute the man who enabled a quantum leap in cultural evolution and could have become one of the richest people in the world. Fortunately for all of us Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the internet chose to give his invention to the citizens of the world for free.
Choosing a combination of British childrens literature and the NHS as two main themes was very appropriate as these games are all about inspiring future generations, and British writers are a priceless mine of creative wealth, and it is the imagination that opens doors to the future. In a similar vein, the NHS is a beacon of inspiration of what a nation can achieve if it works together for the greater good and believes in higher gods than that of money.
Having the Nationl Health Service as a major theme at this point in time was a stoke of genius. It is Britain’s largest employer, provides free healthcare to all and is one of the greatest public institutions ever forged in the UK. It is also under real threat at present of being privatised which would eventually make its services only available to the wealthy.
Boyle did not use actors to portray the NHS, but invited NHS workers to represent themselves. Betsy Lau-Robinson, 59, a senior nurse at London’s University College Hospital was one of them and said “Danny reached out to us, we got an email asking NHS volunteers to audition. When we first started, most of us had two left feet. By the end of it, my children said they had no idea I could dance like that.”
Writer on the project, Frank Cottrell Boyce said Boyle’s team could throw out ideas unencumbered by practicalities “Some were easy, sending rings into space is just cameras on balloons and the cycling doves are straightforward. But the chimneys? Yes, I still don’t know how they pulled that one off. The Queen was easy.”
Sebastian Coe was sent to Buckingham Palace to get permission for the scenes with James Bond and the Queen. They expected to be using a double to play the Queen, but she proved she had a good sense of humour and was happy to deliver the immortal line “Good evening, Mr Bond” herself and even brought along her own corgies to the filming which took place earlier this year at the palace.
It was far less easly to get permission to fly and film the helicopter along the Thames and through Tower Bridge, and the biggest headache was getting permission fror everything – from extracts of poetry and plays to music – not because the artists were unwilling to participate but because of the amount of time it required.
One of the many impressive things about the production was the fact that it was such a well kept secret. In a time of Wikileaks, telephone tapping and kiss and tell stories, 10,000 people were sworn to silence – and all kept it.
It was kept so well that 18 year old Jordan Duckitt, one of the young people who lit the cauldron came to the ceremony alone, as his parents had flown off on holiday, unaware that he was involved in any way.
One of the secrets that stayed intact was what the Olympic Cauldron would look like. Over the years it had been getting bigger, higher and taller with each new Olympics Ceremony. Thomas Heatherwick, the designer of “Betty” as the British cauldron was codenamed decided to take a different approach.
Secrecy wasn’t easy and testing was done at 3am when all volunteers had left and there were no helicopters over London. “We’re normally designing buildings,” Heatherwick said. “It is like the biggest gadget that anyone can make in a shed but this shed is the most sophisticated shed in Harrogate. It was like the Bond gadget workshop.
Cottrell Boyce said it did not surprise him that 10,000 people had managed to keep the secret “Those volunteers redefined the nation for me,” he said. “We’re told people need to be paid great sums to get results, but those who are motivated by money cock up. Because they’re crap. People who are motivated by things like love, family, friendship and humanity are the ones who have something to offer.”
Read MoreCreate an Advert for Shell’s Destruction of the Arctic – Quickly…
Here’s a chance to show your creativity in response to Shell’s bid to destroy the Arctic.
Quickly – get there and get your ad up before this site gets closed down!
By the way… how many birds does it take?
GreenPeace Tells Shell: Don’t Destroy Our Arctic
Green Peace have been taking their message directly to Shell.
In a few weeks, Shell will begin drilling for oil in the Arctic. An oil spill in this fragile environment will be devastating. Stop Shell by signing up now to support a global Arctic sanctuary, protected from oil drilling.
Live video covers their action below.
Good Books Change Lives
Books can be entertaining, educational, escapist and sometimes life-changing.
There is even an online bookshop that will ensure that the next book you read (that is bought via their bookshop) will be life-changing – if it doesn’t change your life, it will definitely be helping to change someone else’s life.. for the better.
Good Books works together with Oxfam so all profits from their books go to funding Oxfam projects. It also gives its customers free international delivery
This charitable website is called UseGoodBooks.com and they explain the simple concept behind their project:
“The Good Books model is simple. Every time anyone buys a book through the Good Books website, 100% of the retail profit from every sale goes to support communities in need through Oxfam projects”
As a result, charitable donation is built into an everyday activity at no extra cost.
No one at Good Books is paid and we have zero operating costs. All time, professional services and resources are donated.
Good Books is about creating positive and enduring connections between commercial worlds and wider, less advantaged communities. Rather than fight a system that privileges a few over many, we wanted to transform it from within to constructive effect. Now, each time you buy a book through us you challenge traditional barriers that prevent commercial involvement in reducing poverty.”
Good Books “Metamorphosis” from Antfood on Vimeo.
This video by creative Agency Antfood uses two main sources of inspiration – the wonderfully evocative imagery that well crafted words on a page can conjour up in our minds, (in this case stepping into Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”) and the paradigm shift that people like those at Good Books are working to promote – that commercial activity need not be exclusively about maximising profits to benefit a few, but can have a direct role in ending poverty and creating a better life for all.
“We dug through the darkest recesses of our minds and studio to create original music and sound design for this Buck masterpiece. Working with squirming, analog-tape leeches, moaning coeds, screaming guitar goats, and brain-exploding psychedelia, we were certainly in our element. Plus, it’s always fun to rock out and get a little weird for a good cause!”
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