Anna Beech, Civic Exchange

Our oceans are the most important ecosystem on the planet. They provide a third of our world with food, produce more oxygen than all the rainforests combined, remove half of the atmosphere’s manmade carbon dioxide and control our planet’s temperature and weather. Individuals and businesses both have a responsibility to protect our precious and delicate ecosystems – as consumers, we can demand more sustainably sourced products; and as businesses, by creating better systems of production and innovating to reduce their impact on the Earth.

The London Olympics 2012, which start today with the much-anticipated opening ceremony, is hoping to be the greenest Olympics in history. The Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for building the Olympic Park, acknowledged from the beginning that the construction would impact the environment. Thus, they have taken a number of measures to reduce the impact of their construction work - reducing energy use, protecting wildlife, managing air and water quality, and reducing waste. These showcase what can be achieved by construction projects across the globe.

Avoiding the accusation of greenwashing is not easy for businesses. How do we judge whether a business is truly interested in reducing its carbon emissions and waste, or just wanting to look as if they are doing so? One way is to look at what community events a business supports. Running is a popular sport worldwide, with millions of people taking part in marathons all over the globe. These races need sponsors and race organisers across the world are trying to make their events greener. Sponsorship can help race organizers introduce green measures to their races and in turn, helps the sponsor become aligned with enabling sustainability education and action in the community.

I recently attended a meeting in a large, airy building with wooden beamed ceilings and a huge Christmas tree in the corner to talk with committee members of a new environmental initiative charged with promoting green living  throughout the organization. With such campaigns as Meatless Mondays, Lights Out Fridays, and a complete ban on the use of plastic bottles, one would think you were talking to a large corporation making its first moves into the sustainability world.

Urban farming methods can enable city dwellers to grow their own food, save money and reduce carbon emissions from transport and energy use associated with food production.