The Wood for Gold campaign is building momentum as it communicates the advantages of wood for construction of the London 2012 Olympic stadiums, village and other facilities.

Shadow minister for agriculture James Paice, who is supporting the campaign, points out that: “The wood industry is at the forefront of developing sustainable materials and constructions methods; the London 2012 Games provides an excellent opportunity for them to demonstrate this”.

The Wood for Gold campaign was launched at the House of Commons in November where politicians from both Houses and all three main parties came to be briefed by members of the wood industry. Wood for Gold’s steering committee was on hand to ensure that those present understood the economic and environmental arguments for making wood the building material of choice for the Games. MPs were particularly impressed by wood’s sustainable credentials which can deliver the aspirations of all parties as they seek answers to the challenges of the environment and climate change.

Briefing document

The detailed briefing document produced for the launch event includes case studies and supporting arguments for the use of wood in construction. It has now been sent to many other politicians and Olympics stakeholders who were unable to attend the evening.

Early Day Motion (EDM) 180, supporting the use of wood in the 2012 Olympic Games, has gained strong backing from MPs , which is very encouraging. We were delighted that the motion, tabled by Paddy Tipping MP, was so well supported, and particularly by MPs such as James Paice, Brian Jenkins, Simon Hughes and Charles Kennedy.

EDM 180 calls on the House of Commons to recognise the benefits of wood as a sustainable construction material and specifically congratulates the Wood for Gold campaign for its work in promoting the Olympics as an ideal opportunity for the wood industry to showcase its talents.

Beyond Parliament, the Wood for Gold team has been actively engaging stakeholders within the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), local councils, Greater London Authority, London Development Agency, and a variety of government departments and advisory groups. Through a combination of briefing meetings and detailed written supporting evidence, the wood agenda is being promoted at the highest levels. Specific submissions on the ODA procurement policy and the ODA sustainability policy have ensured that the wood case is fully considered.

The Wood for Gold website has been live for over a month, providing information on the campaign and its aims, as well as links to other wood industry sites, and the chance for supporters to add their names to the site.

Steering group

A great success of the campaign to date is an active steering group that includes representatives from BWF, TTF, ConFor, TRADA and Wood for Good, so that when meetings take place, Wood for Gold is viewed as a campaign that represents the whole industry, not just one part of it. A committee, to look at supply chain issues, is now being formed from industry volunteers. It will have the opportunity to put practical supporting arguments to demonstrate that the demand for wood can be met.

The campaign continues to seek more support and involvement from the wider industry, and the timber industry can still help by asking local MPs to sign the EDM, or by raising the campaign agenda in local newspapers. If anyone needs more information, the website can be accessed at www.woodforgold.com or www.woodforgold.co.uk.

The opportunities for wood as part of the London 2012 Olympics are huge, and the legacy of this campaign is one that can last for many years to come. Wood can become the preferred construction material for many more people and it can assume a rightful place as a positive answer to climate change.