By Tom Degun at the Olympic Village in London

Caroline Spelman_July_13July 13 - The One Planet Centre has opened at the London 2012 Olympc Village where it will encourage competitors at the Olympic and Paralympic Games to help raise awareness about environmental issues and promote sustainability around the world.


The venue itself is an interactive hub filled with activities and information about the positive steps that can be taken to help to create an environmentally friendly future.

Through a series of social events and competitions, athletes will learn more about cutting waste, protecting the environment and reducing energy use.

"Sustainability has been at the heart of the bid to hold the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – from the construction of the Olympic Park, to the staging of the Games and the long legacy they will leave behind," said the UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman (pictured above and below, left), who opened the One Planet Centre.

"Our investment in the One Planet Centre will help Olympic athletes to return to their home countries as ambassadors for creating a sustainable future and a greener planet."

The Environment Secretary's comments were echoed by the London 2012 head of sustainability David Stubbs (pictured below, second right), who believes that this summer's Games could be the most sustainable ever.

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"Our vision was to use the power of the Games to influence lasting sustainable change," said Stubbs.

"The athletes and sport are at the heart of the Games, and the One Planet Centre on the Olympic Village is the perfect place to positively engage with them."

One of the key partners involved in the creation of the One Planet Centre is Worldwide Olympic Partner Coca-Cola.

Many of the activities at the Centre, including the swapping of pins and sharing of stories through social media, have used Coca-Cola's experience from previous Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"Sustainability is at the heart of our London 2012 sponsorship and the One Planet Centre is one way we are encouraging behaviour change beyond the Games," said Coca-Cola's, head of sustainable Olympic Games Katherine Symonds.

"Through similar initiatives we ran at the Beijing and Vancouver Games we know that by educating and engaging athletes about sustainable living we can get this message to a much wider audience."

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