Ecohealth 2010

“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”

Samuel Johnson 1777.

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and one of the largest urban centres in Europe. Londoners are proud of their two millennia of history and of the huge diversity of London’s cultural and ethnic communities. London has been a renowned city for centuries – both for its beauty and for its problems.

London was home to the Great Plague in 1665, and then to the Great Fire which destroyed much of London in 1666. Known as “the Big Smoke” for decades in the 20th Century for the coal-fire air pollution that hung over the city, London’s air is now much cleaner and there is a daily monitoring system to help guide policymakers and citizens in London.

Perhaps now more than ever, London is a truly international city – “Londoners” come from all parts the world to make this unique city their home. One third (32 per cent) of Londoners - around 2.3m people, were born outside of the UK, and come from all parts of the world. Londoners speak over 300 languages and in London, you can find all the languages, faiths, cultures, (and foods!), of the world.

London also has a thriving ecological life, with one of the cleanest rivers in Europe, and a diversity of wildlife and ecosystems within its 14 river, canal, urban, and woodland habitats. You can see one of the rarest of European birds, the Peregrine Falcon, nesting on the rooftops of our art galleries, and tower blocks, and if you stay out late at night, you can hear, and often see, one of London’s 10,000 resident foxes!

Why come to London in 2010?

London is a major international centre with extensive transport links internationally by air and rail. We have just opened a new air terminal for one of our major London airports and we have a new high speed rail link to Europe. We will organise the conference in late August/early September in 2010. London at this time of year is a city alive with summer events in all the parks and open air venues. All of London’s central parks and squares have now become ecological centres preserving native plants and animals, and the river is a vibrant ecological thread through the heart of the city. The conference will be located in the heart of London and surrounded by central London’s beautiful parks and squares.

Ecohealth 2010 will be held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The University of London and the LSHTM have played host to many major international conferences. Central London has a huge diversity of accommodation suited to all budgets and used to major conference bookings.

We have vast experience in organising conferences and have facilities catering for large plenary presentations, receptions, and smaller parallel events. London in 2010 will be gearing up for the Olympics and there will be opportunities to visit the areas most affected by the games and meet local groups, facilitated by London 21.

There are major initiatives in London that are of interest to the Ecohealth community – these include the new “green roofs” scheme, promoted by the Mayor’s Office and with major examples in central London; and the London Farmers Markets – with whom we will link during the conference.

LSHTM also has a major programme of work supporting disadvantaged schools in London, and we will to have a side event for young people in London. In addition, we would aim to organise visits to key related sites in London. 2010 is the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society and we will link the conference with some of the activities being organised by them throughout London.

Our banquet will be at the London Zoo, where the Zoo is supporting the conference and giving us special rooms and rates for a fantastic banquet experience. In keeping with the conference themes, food and drink at the banquet will be locally sourced and with organic and fair trade options.