When London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games back in 2005, part of their successful bid to the IOC was the commitment to host a "green Games".

Sustainability was at the heart of the Games from the outset and together with LOCOG, BT is helping to deliver on those promises.

BT is one of six sustainability partners for London 2012. Our role is to assist LOCOG in sustainable initiatives that will reduce the environmental impact of the Games and leave a legacy beyond 2012.

As the official communications services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have set ourselves the challenge of making sure that our own sponsor activity is as green as it can be.

For London 2012, we are providing infrastructure that will support around 80,000 connections across an estimated 94 Olympic and Paralympic Games competition and non-competition venues.

With the help of the carbon-footprint measuring methodology we have developed for complex communication solutions, we will be able to use London as a benchmark to ensure that part of our legacy is helping future Games to be sustainable.

To meet the challenge of to making sure that our solution is as sustainable as possible, we have designed a "converged network" - the first time that such a design has been implemented at a Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This means that we can carry voice and data on the same network which dramatically reduces energy consumption and waste.

Additionally, in line with the zero waste to landfill commitment made in the London 2012 bid, BT intends to retain all equipment packaging for re-use at the end of the Games.

Any remaining waste packaging will be recycled where possible. Equipment which is no longer needed after the Games will be recovered for refurbishment and re-use at another time.

We are also using BT Net Design, developed by our research team at BT, which digitally calculates the most efficient layout for the network before installation.

This technology allows us to cut the volume of equipment by 5 per cent, minimising our impact on the environment.

On the Olympic Park itself, we are utilising new technology that reduces the impact of our activity.



For example, our Openreach business is piloting the use of electric vehicles for its engineers.

For BT, sustainability is not just about being green. It's also about working with communities to educate and inspire, whilst leaving a social legacy beyond just the Games.

BT has pioneered three key programmes: Communication Triathlon, which encourages a primary school child to take part in three sports-themed speaking and listening activities; Coaching for Life, which encourages parents, grandparents and carers to help children try different sports; Big Voice, a chance for teams of young people to explore life in our rapidly changing, multicultural society and turn their ideas into films to be shown on Live Sites in the run up to London 2012.

What this means is that we are thinking beyond just the summer of 2012 and ensuring that we are leaving a legacy that will last for many years beyond that.

Firstly, the copper and fibre networks installed for the Games will become part of the national BT infrastructure after 2012.

Secondly, the innovations developed as a pilot for 2012 will enable us to use our sponsorship as a blueprint for improving sustainability across our business, and in turn, the products we offer to our customers.

If we can use these methods successfully on such a big scale at an Olympic and Paralympic Games, we know that they will work elsewhere across the UK and internationally.

Finally, our community programmes enable us to use our sponsorship of London 2012 to inspire and educate young people about the way they communicate and address the issues that matter to them.

For BT, therefore, our sponsorship is not just about commercial benefit. It is more than that; the chance to change the way we operate our business and leave a lasting legacy for the UK beyond the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Johanna Hegarty is the Sustainability Director of BT's London 2012 programme. BT is the official communications partner of London 2012.