Green is Great - Part 2

It looks like something from outer space, but it’s a wind turbine and it’s revolutionary!

Wind power has been around for centuries, but this is something new. Big wind farms have managed to harness the power of the wind off-shore or on high ground where it’s windy, but what about places where there’s not so much space or wind?

Award-winning British company ‘Quiet Revolution’ have developed a turbine with an upright axis which can be put practically anywhere and is near silent.

Harnessing wind energy in urban areas and tight spaces is a challenge. As wind travels past buildings, it changes speed and is difficult to catch. That’s where this micro turbine is clever. The turbine is small and so catches small wind… But it surprisingly generates a lot of power.

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And all that energy can be used on site, so it’s good for the environment and it saves money! Plus, I think it looks like a work of art; I wouldn’t mind one in my back garden!

The sun is another important source of renewable energy. Solar Century is a leading solar energy company. The panels use the sun's rays to generate power. This technology is becoming more efficient as a way of creating energy.

Behind me is the incredible Olympic Park where much of the action will take place during London’s Olympic Games.

This whole park has been designed to be the greenest Olympic Park in the history of the Olympic Games. Protecting and preserving the environment has been a priority during the planning, construction and building stages. The legacy of this ‘environmentally friendly’ park will last for a very long time.

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David Stubbs is Head of Environment and Sustainability for LOCOG, the Olympic organisers. 
   
Richard: This is really impressive. What was here before?

David: Polluted rivers, contaminated land, broken-down factories. There were a few small industries here, but largely speaking it was a vast area of emptiness.

Richard: David, give me some examples of why these are the greenest Games ever.

David: We put a lot of attention to the buildings, to the design, to all the materials used in them, to the energy that was used in them, so there's a lot of attention to making sure that we minimise waste upfront and then we recycle and reuse as much as possible. Across the board, I think we've done a lot of different things which add up to a sustainable Games.

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Let’s find out what the people of London think about the world's greenest Olympics taking place right here, on their doorstep.

Man: I think that it's great that they've really taken into account the local area, the local people, that they've taken into account the environment.

Woman 1: I think the technology they're using here for the green... will be very good for the rest of London and the rest of the country once it's all going.

Woman 2: Well, I think it's a wonderful idea that other countries can take a lesson from and because... when you recycle and repurpose, then the waste, it doesn't become waste, it doesn't become garbage, and it sets an example for the rest of the world.      

So the future for Great Britain really is green.