Environment
We seek to set a high standard of environmental performance. We work continually to improve sustainability of Sydney Olympic Park and business activities.
The Environmental Guidelines for Sydney Olympic Park (PDF 500kB) are the foundation of our approach to environmental management and have legislative force under the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Act 2001. The Guidelines address eight areas of significance for management of the Park, and set particular objectives for each. These eight areas are:
- Water conservation
- Energy conservation
- Material selection
- Waste management
- Transport
- Pollution control
- Biodiversity
- Public open space
We have also implemented many new sustainability initiatives since the Authority’s inception in 2001, and in 2013 we were awarded the Green Globe 10-year Sustainability Award for significant environmental achievements over the past decade. The Green Globe Awards are NSW’s leading environment awards, recognising environmental excellence, leadership and innovation.
Our environmental performance and environmental initiatives are reported annually in the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Annual Report (PDF 13MB).
The Environmental Guidelines build on the legacy of the 'Green Games', which was the catalyst for Sydney Olympic Park's transformation from a badly degraded area into a world-recognised environmental showpiece, and resulted in:
- Successful remediation of 160 hectares of contaminated land and on-site containment of nine million cubic metres of excavated waste in Australia’s largest land remediation projectCreation of one of the largest urban parklands in Australia (430 hectares)
- Development of world class venues and facilities for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed with a strong focus on: energy and water conservation, sustainable materials selection, pollution control, and waste management and minimisation
- Establishment of Australia's first large scale urban water recycling system, saving approximately 850 million litres of drinking water each year
- Extensive use of renewable energy across the Park
- Restoration of remnant eucalypt forest and estuarine wetlands
- Design and construction of new grassland, wetland, forest, saltmarsh and intertidal habitats including habitats for the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog.
- Development of environmental education, interpretation and research programs.
More on the Olympic environmental legacy is available in the publication: Integrating ESD - the Environmental Legacy of Sydney Olympic Park (PDF 170kB) and the ESD compendium (PDF 10.1MB)