Only 2,012 Days to Go

London Olympics striving to be all green, all the time

We were about to write yet another blurb on the current climate-change climate when we remembered: today marks 2,012 days until the London 2012 Olympics! So here's a quick rundown of plans for the "greenest games to date." Organizers say they'll cut Olympic Park carbon emissions 50 percent by 2013 and generate some power on site using wind and solar. They'll also reuse or recycle 90 percent of demolition materials and build 50 miles of new bike and walking paths. That's just a taste of an event that will be, says Prime Minister Tony Blair, "the catalyst for one of the most extensive urban and environmental regeneration programs ever seen in the U.K." It's all quite dreamy, except for a political squabble over the games' mushrooming budget and its reliance on National Lottery funds intended for community sports programs and other "good causes." A Parliament committee was expected to release a report this week telling the ambitious government to "get a grip" on its finances. Fun-stoppers.