Carbon reduction strategies for Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games venues

Sustainable Community in Arena and Velodrome of Glasgow

Approach and uncertainty

General approach to reduce carbon emissions

Important Sources of Uncertainty

Specific actions and cost-benefit analysis

Specific actions that you could be implemented

Cost and effectiveness of the actions

Cost-benefit analysis of carbon reduction actions

Benchmarking

Benchmark of the performance

Levels of performance are achieved and why

Interdependencies

Choices and actions affect or are influenced by the activities

The 2014 commonwealth games are announced to be held in Glasgow. It is noted that the government and game partners are focused to create awareness as well as practical efforts for the community to achieve sustainability. The use of renewable energy, waste reduction, lowering carbon emissions, and biodiversity is sought in the area of sports arena and Velodrome. The following research is focused to highlight the options for sustainability in Glasgow as well as performing cost benefit analysis, setting up benchmarks, and Key performance indicators for measurement.

Introduction:

Sustainability for communities, businesses, and areas is derived through efforts of waste reduction, use of renewable energy, and eliminating greenhouse gases emissions. The land use for settlements without incorporating sustainable designs, developments, and implantation also plays a significant role in creating air pollution and high energy consumption. The commonwealth games of 2014 in Glasgow require developments for Arena and Velodrome in the area. It is a major event that can help in creating awareness for community in Scotland and beyond for sustainable and healthy living. The following sections are focused to identify the sustainability objectives, cost benefit analysis of the options, benchmarking, and impact on community of Glasgow.

Approach and uncertainty:

The United Kingdom city of architecture and design was awarded to Glasgow in 1999 which later lead to development of Glasgow center of contemporary arts and Glasgow science center. The development incurred a cost of €84 million. These attractions are visited by almost half a million paid visitors. The largest European indoor sports arena and Velodrome was planned with a budget of €31.1 Million in 2004 to 2006. The plan to refurbish Kelvin-grove art gallery and museum is extended to host 2014 commonwealth games with an estimated cost of €130 million. These investments are expected to turnaround Glasgow city as one of the modern European cities (Heeley 2011).

General approach to reduce carbon emissions:

The carbon emissions in communities can be reduced using the principles of sustainable development. The sustainable development includes all the aspects of community settlement planning and environment. The settlements are developed using minerals extracted from earth. Furthermore it also causes the land utilization which is used for other purposes prior to these developments. The use of land, water resources, landfill waste, and modernization in lifestyles of community is required to be considered while taking into consideration reduction of carbon emissions (Higgins 2012). The case of Glasgow as a sustainable community as well as the target to reduce carbon emissions during commonwealth games in 2014 is also similar to other developments. There are various developments taking place in Glasgow for preparation of 2014 commonwealth games especially indoor sports arena and Velodrome (Matheson 2010). It is required to undertake the recommendations of academia and professional organizations to reduce carbon emissions.

The use of alternative energy sources is one of the major developments that can help in reduction of greenhouse gases emissions in Glasgow. According to Dimitrijevi? (2013) the building designs and refurbishment of the existing building in particularly in Glasgow and overall in Scotland is required to attain a lower carbon emissions. The research further signifies the use of hybrid solar thermal mass system (HSTM) for use in new housing facilities across the area. The communal functions and enhancement to the master plan of existing housing developments. The proposals of Glasgow school of art have proposed these changes and it is also relevant in terms of developments taking place for the 2014 commonwealth games. It is also significant to consider the proposals of Edinburgh Napier University in relation to the installation of Photo Volts (PVs) for existing housing facilities in the area.

The carbon emission in Glasgow is 8% of the total emissions in Scotland. The city council of Glasgow is also particular in reducing the carbon emissions in the area by 30% in next 10 years. The use of low carbon transport during the 2014 commonwealth games is also likely to have an impact on the environmental initiative. The government is also focused to create a low carbon footprint of the event during and after the completion of games. The use of renewable energy transportation will have a propound impact on the activities. It is important to highlight that the National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome are designed to reduce carbon emissions and energy use. The climate change impact is also considered for buildings through implementing sustainable urban drainage systems, reduced energy usage, landscaping, and water efficiency methods.

Important Sources of Uncertainty:

The minerals extractions and reduction in the agricultural land, changing ecological habits, biodiversity, landscape quality, road stone, and sand are the major causes of increasing pollution in the communities within United Kingdom. The road stone extraction has increased almost 33% during 1985 and 1995. The use of the stone is mostly observed in settlements. All these indicators are mostly highlighting the unsustainable developments taking place in the country. These changes impact the environment and result into causing issues for health of the communities (Barton 2005).

The other sources of unsustainability are based on rapid settlements and maintenance of the already established places. The large quantities of sand are also required to develop new settlements and as a result it is causing the changes in the ecological systems. The environmental pollution is measured using indicators including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOX), and particulates. The environmental impacts of these are described as carbon dioxide causes global pollution to increase and it also creates greenhouse effect. The nitrogen oxides are mostly impact the environment at local, national, and transnational levels. It also plays a role in formulation of local pollutants and increases acid disposition. The local pollution is also increased through particulates and increases the air quality pollution. The staining of developed environment is also caused through particulates (Barton 2005).

According to Barton (2005) the CO2 emissions are of most significance while considering the factors that are influential as sources of uncertainty. The CO2 emissions in UK were considerably constant during 1985 to 1995. However, the transportation increase has escalated per capita emissions. The three major hurdles in reduction of CO2 emissions within UK are mainly industry, commerce, transportation, and domestic use of energy. These uncertainty factors are of paramount importance while developing mechanism to reduce emissions. The unsustainable land use is also a considerable source of uncertainty. The growth in transport and use of energy during the commonwealth games in 2014 are also a factors contributing towards increasing uncertainty.

Specific actions and cost-benefit analysis:

The cost benefit analysis provides a relative ground for the feasibility of the projects and the economic benefits of the developments. It is not only confined to the business cases but environmental initiatives are also likely to be considerate of benefits and the cost associated with the recommendations. The road developments, refurbishment of housing, and other ecological initiatives are also calculated using the cost benefit approach. The professionals develop a present a business case format based on the analysis in order to seek recommendations of the stakeholders (Puttaswamaiah 2002).

Specific actions that you could be implemented:

The actions recommend includes the refurbishment of the existing housing associations in Scotland particularly Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is also noted that the new developments in the area especially the developments of NISA and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome are expected to take into consideration the sustainability requirements. The aims of the city council are to reduce the impact of games on the environment and promote awareness among the communities for climate change. The impact of humanly activities on the game site as well as the related Velodrome will also be impacted through design, development, and management of the facilities.

The changes in the sports site will include the usage of sustainable water and drainage urban developments. The use of renewable energy for the Velodrome will not only create awareness but also provide an opportunity for the city to demonstrate its commitment for environmental initiatives. The business, transport, and domestic sectors will also be catered using the sustainable energy sources. The use of low carbon emissions transportation for games is also creating a profound impact on the community. The long-term view of the developments is to develop a sustainable community in Glasgow. The developments will encourage the private and government developers to include sustainability as a primary objective for later projects.

The new housing and refurbishment of existing societies is also likely to impact Glasgow as proposed by the academic institutes. The proposals for installation of HSTM and PVs in the area can also provide extended benefits for community. The initial upgrade of existing housing associations will encourage others to develop their homes for having minimal environmental impact. The PV panels are also funded by the energy suppler or external companies in terms of capital investments. The cost of installation and the maintenance provides long-term benefits for the electricity supply companies. In some case it is more likely to be spread over a period of 25 years.

Cost and effectiveness of the actions:

The development cost of NISA and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is estimated at €0000. However, the local authorities view it as an opportunity to build a modern sports stadium with sustainability as one of the primary objective. It is observed that sustainability can be considered as a primary focus during initial planning to avoid additional costs. The cost factor is likely to be impacted at a minimum level since with respect to the sustainability factors. The cost of landscaping according to sustainable urban development standards is merely affected. Similarly the cost of building the derange system for surviving flood water is also least affected. The benefits of these actions can be assessed as huge as compared to the system cost. The negligible cost factor can also be ignored in view of the long-term benefits and availability of sports arena based on sustainable factors.

The renewable energy use for transportation used during 2014 commonwealth games in Glasgow is also the second major development. The proposed initiative has a profound impact on reduction of carbon emissions as it is one of the three major contributors of CO2 emissions in UK. The transportation using renewable energy as a fuel has two major costs including the refurbishment of existing vehicles and procurement of transportation vehicles using hybrid technology. The refurbishment initiative is relatively expensive and costs of maintenance are also likely to be higher (Gold & Gold 2008). The performance of refurbished vehicles will also be lower as compared with the new hybrid vehicles with updated technology. The sports events will require transportation procurement and costs will be slightly higher in case it is using renewable energy. On the other hand, benefits of minimizing CO2 emissions in environment over long terms are highly appreciable.

The use of sustainable energy in NISA and especially Velodrome will not only create environment that is beneficial for the sports and sustainability. The businesses and community in Glasgow will also be benefit from the developments. The cost of setting up renewable energy as a primary source of sustainability will be higher as compared with construction of buildings and Velodrome on sustainability basis. It includes the maximized use of natural resources, landscaping, and water resources. The waste management and other residuals should also be managed to reduce overall pollution at arena site and Glasgow.

Cost-benefit analysis of carbon reduction actions:

The carbon reduction actions related to the community in Glasgow and specifically for the 2014 event has certain capital and maintenance costs. The long-term benefits of these initiatives are related to reduction of fuel consumption for sports arena and Velodrome. The fuel poverty is also likely to reduce in the community. The refurbishment of existing housing in the area is also impacted through the initiatives. The considerations for installation of HSTM and PVs in newly constructed buildings and refurbishment of existing housing facilities can only be achieved through government and energy provider's support. The capital investment in these regards are mainly provided by the energy suppliers and long terms benefits are sought over the period of next 20 to 30 years. The uncertain cost of maintenance in HSTM and PVs is one of the factors that can influence consumer decision making. However with the government support it can be managed.

Benchmarking:

Benchmarking is denoted as the industry's best practices used for forecasting and improvement. The major element of consideration for the approach is related to compare within the industry. The same players of the market compete in terms of their performance and efficacy. The benchmarking approach is well adopted by large corporations for developing continuous improvement within the business. The initial stage of the benchmarking process includes identification of existing state. The second stage includes the setting of objectives and goals for a particular area of operations or overall performance. The third stage is achieved through defining the mechanism for achievement of the defined objectives. The measurement of goals and monitoring performance is overall objective of benchmarking. It is also relevant for sustainable communities (Jain & Malehorn 2006).

Benchmark of the performance:

According to Glasgow city council (2010) the government is focused to take into confidence all the stakeholders of 2014 commonwealth games and game partners for creating new benchmarks of sustainability. The environmental activities and advocates will also be mobilized to complement the sustainability efforts. The aspirations of city council of Glasgow, Scottish government, and commonwealth games Scotland are mainly focused towards development of benchmarking framework to cater the needs of the city. It is mainly with perspective of using 2014 event as a focus of sustainability drive for the city and Scotland as a whole. The commonwealth games environmental and sustainability benchmarks are primarily established on the basis of implementing environment and sustainability models and best practices. The key performance indicator (KPI) are developed in relation to the British Standard for a Sustainable Event Management System e.g. BS 8901 (Glasgow City Council 2010).

The important benchmarks devised by the Glasgow City Council (2010) includes the assurance of new developments and adaptability of the impacts on future climate change especially reduction of greenhouse gases, flooding, heat gain, water resources, and water quality. The output measures are developed to reduce journey times in peak times throughout Glasgow. The reduction in road accidents and reducing traffic load on the local road network is also sought. Furthermore, the use of micro-renewable energy sources on all new developments within Glasgow is also one of the primary objectives. The gradual shift for healthier travel options availability throughout Glasgow is also measured providing cyclists the appropriate facilities. It is also likely to have an impact on the air quality of the city.

Levels of performance are achieved and why:

The significant performance indicators in sustainability selected for Glasgow city and 2014 commonwealth games are based on reduction in carbon emissions and landfill waste. The fact that Glasgow produces 8% of the total Scotland's waste is highly an inefficient indicator. The government is focused to reduce 30% of the CO2 emissions in 10 years. It is a performance level objective that can be achieved through above mentioned measures. The commonwealth games 2014 are mainly targeted as an event to initiate drive for sustainability. The sustainability drive is also likely to impact the waste production in the area. The games waste is targeted to be reduced by 80%. The recycling of waste is one of the objectives to divert from landfill. The design and development of Velodrom is also likely to be using recycled materials. The government is also focused to reduce waste and increase recycling for Glasgow community after the games (Glasgow City Council 2010). The public education in use of recycled materials and waste reduction will also facilitate in achieving objectives. The government focus along with the use of partners for creating awareness will provide the required grounds for objectives achievements.