London's green Olympics

Project type: green energy, sustainable urban development, protection of environment
Cost: around 10 billion euros ($13.7 billion)
Size: 2.5 square kilometers of land (0.96 square miles), an Olympic stadium for 80,000 visitors and a residential complex for 17,000 athletes

The countdown has begun for London's Olympic Games. In less than a year, athletes and spectators from all over the world will descend on the British capital for the mega sporting event. The organizers of the London Olympics have announced that they plan to make it the "greenest Olympics ever."

It's not just lofty environmental targets but tangible economic factors that prompted the decision. Unable to afford the ostentatious spectacle that the Chinese put up at the last Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, the British government opted instead to focus on boosting the Games' green credentials.

"Greener, cleaner and gentler" - that's the motto at next year's London's Games. It's the driving principle behind the Olympic park planned in East London. Thousands of trees have been planted, rivers and grounds have been cleaned up. The Olympic park is almost finished but with a price tag of 10 billion euros, it's four times as expensive as was originally planned.

The park boasts recycling facilities for sewage water, solar panels and biodiversity protection. But opponents of the project say it's just another example of "green washing." They question whether a mega infrastructure project such as the Olympic Games can be carried out sustainabily. They point out that huge amounts of natural marshland have been drained for the Olympic Park and that a nearby tributary of the Thames has become more polluted than before.

The organizers of the Olympic Games too admit that there have been problems. They say that the Olympics can't solve all environmental concerns but rather can only be a catalyst for change. They stress that all partners involved in the Games must do their bit for the project to be a success.

It remains unclear whether the London Olympics can be considered a green model for future Games – or whether the whole thing is just a sham.

A film by Gerhard Elfers (sp)