Hi there
Check out the winning entries for the Key Stage 2 school art competition. Great stuff and congratulations to West Town Primary and The Discovery Primary! These awards were sponsored by Recoup and The Environment Capital Partnership.
Nick
Monday, 22 December 2008
Did you know...?
Peterborough is renowned for innovative green projects – the city’s Seeding Sustainable Communities project was dubbed the blueprint for behaviour change by green experts including BBC2’s Penney Poyzer and the then Chief executive of Friends of the Earth Tony Juniper. The project saw 1,000 local people cut their carbon footprint.
45% of Peterborough’s schools are currently Eco Schools and local teachers have now laid the challenge for 100% of schools to become Eco Schools by 2010.
Peterborough’s Get a Green Grip campaign saw millions of plastic bags kept out of landfill and off the city’s streets. Shops like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waterstones backed the campaign and encouraged shoppers to ditch plastic bags. If everyone who received a reusable Get a Green Grip bag stopped using plastic bags this means 1,308,000 plastic bags have been prevented from damaging local wildlife and clogging up landfill in Peterborough.
45% of Peterborough’s schools are currently Eco Schools and local teachers have now laid the challenge for 100% of schools to become Eco Schools by 2010.
Peterborough’s Get a Green Grip campaign saw millions of plastic bags kept out of landfill and off the city’s streets. Shops like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waterstones backed the campaign and encouraged shoppers to ditch plastic bags. If everyone who received a reusable Get a Green Grip bag stopped using plastic bags this means 1,308,000 plastic bags have been prevented from damaging local wildlife and clogging up landfill in Peterborough.
Have you considered having an eco Christmas party this year?
Peterborough Environment City Trust is one organisation that is holding a Christmas party with a difference.
The charity has decided to go for a green and novel option for their end of year celebration for their twenty staff. The team from the environmental charity will head down to Flag Fen Archaeology Park in Peterborough for an Iron Age adventure.
The party will be held in one of Flag Fen’s Iron Age roundhouses. Flag Fen has three round houses altogether which have been reconstructed based on findings from archaeological digs to mirror the original designs.
Staff from PECT will enjoy a meal of locally sourced food cooked outdoors before being treated to grisly tales by firelight within the roundhouse. These will be told by an accomplished story teller from Flag Fen.
James Beatty is Park Manager for Flag Fen, he says,”The rich history of the Fens is often forgotten but here in Peterborough we have it on our doorstep. The Iron Age roundhouse is an example of how clever our ancestors were at using the materials available to them. The building is very effectively designed to keep warm using natural materials for insulation. Today’s architects are using the designs of the past to make buildings in the future more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
“Flag Fen is a pretty amazing place to come and is ideal for a Christmas party with a difference. We are keen to welcome other organisations to hold their Christmas event at the centre this year or in future years.”
Hugh Cripps is Chief Executive of Peterborough Environment City Trust, he comments, “We wanted to do something different for Christmas this year that was fun and low impact environmentally."
To find out more about alternative Christmas events visit Flag Fen.
The charity has decided to go for a green and novel option for their end of year celebration for their twenty staff. The team from the environmental charity will head down to Flag Fen Archaeology Park in Peterborough for an Iron Age adventure.
The party will be held in one of Flag Fen’s Iron Age roundhouses. Flag Fen has three round houses altogether which have been reconstructed based on findings from archaeological digs to mirror the original designs.
Staff from PECT will enjoy a meal of locally sourced food cooked outdoors before being treated to grisly tales by firelight within the roundhouse. These will be told by an accomplished story teller from Flag Fen.
James Beatty is Park Manager for Flag Fen, he says,”The rich history of the Fens is often forgotten but here in Peterborough we have it on our doorstep. The Iron Age roundhouse is an example of how clever our ancestors were at using the materials available to them. The building is very effectively designed to keep warm using natural materials for insulation. Today’s architects are using the designs of the past to make buildings in the future more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
“Flag Fen is a pretty amazing place to come and is ideal for a Christmas party with a difference. We are keen to welcome other organisations to hold their Christmas event at the centre this year or in future years.”
Hugh Cripps is Chief Executive of Peterborough Environment City Trust, he comments, “We wanted to do something different for Christmas this year that was fun and low impact environmentally."
To find out more about alternative Christmas events visit Flag Fen.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Shades of Green
Read my weekly column Shades of Green in the ET every Saturday or online.
This week - get top tips for a green Christmas, and find answers to everyday eco-dilemmas...
Nyree
This week - get top tips for a green Christmas, and find answers to everyday eco-dilemmas...
Nyree
Greenormal...
Check out John Grant's blog: Greenormal ( blog following hot on the heels of The Green Marketing Manifesto by John Grant).
Friday, 5 December 2008
Tips for a Green Christmas...
It’s easy to forget the environment at Christmas, but a more sustainable festive season may not be as difficult as you think.
Each year we produce approximately 3 million tonnes of extra waste during the Christmas period; in the UK a billion cards could end up in the bin and up to 30% more glass will be thrown away.
The UK spends £20bn on Christmas with £1.6bn going on food and drink. Seven million children leave mince pies and a drink for Santa on Christmas Eve, we consume around 10 million turkeys, 25 million Christmas puddings, and drink 35 million bottles of wine!
However, most of the extra waste we create during the festive period can be reduced and recycled.
Each year we produce approximately 3 million tonnes of extra waste during the Christmas period; in the UK a billion cards could end up in the bin and up to 30% more glass will be thrown away.
The UK spends £20bn on Christmas with £1.6bn going on food and drink. Seven million children leave mince pies and a drink for Santa on Christmas Eve, we consume around 10 million turkeys, 25 million Christmas puddings, and drink 35 million bottles of wine!
However, most of the extra waste we create during the festive period can be reduced and recycled.
- Take the bus to go Christmas shopping.
- Take your own re-usable shopping bags with you when you do your Christmas shopping.
- Around 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are thrown away over Christmas. When buying presents look out for those with minimal packaging, or items packed in recycled or recyclable materials, e.g. cardboard.
- Send e-Christmas cards or recycled cards. Last year we sent around 744 million Christmas cards. If all these were made from recycled paper, it would help to save the equivalent of 248,000 trees.
- Buy recycled wrapping paper, or even use old magazines or newspaper. More than 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper will be used on Christmas presents - the equivalent of 50,000 trees.
- Don't bin your wrapping paper. Recycle it in your green bin or reuse it. Last Christmas, it was estimated that 83 square km of wrapping paper ended up in UK rubbish bins.
- What's in season in December?Broccoli (purple sprouting), brussel sprouts, cabbage (savoy, spring green, winter green), carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, kale, leeks, parsnips, potato, turnip.Most people buy too much food at Christmas much of which goes to waste. This year try to plan your meals and only buy what you need.
- More than 10 million turkeys are bought and 4,200 tonnes of aluminium foil are thrown away in the UK each Christmas - if you can't re-use the foil for cooking, make sure you put it in the recycling.
- Buy a locally grown Christmas tree and remember to recycle it after Christmas. Trees can be taken to the Householders Recycling Centre where they will be turned into compost.
- Take any unwanted Christmas gifts to a charity shop or list them on Ebay.
For more green Christmas tips visit www.pect.net
Friday, 21 November 2008
Peterborough launches Environment Capital ambition with a bang...
Wednesday 19th November saw 200 local people from the city council, local businesses and communities pledge their support for Peterborough's green ambitions.
Attendees at the launch pledged their support to the city’s ambitions to create the UK’s Environment Capital by signing a tree made from recycled cardboard.
Aviation
Check out this article from the Guardian....quite a good piece I thought and certainly makes you realise the enormity of the problem!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/12/heathrow-third-runway
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/12/heathrow-third-runway
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Peterborough Evening Telegraph supports Peterborough's green ambitions!
Sign up to updates on environmental news...
Pledge your support for Peterborough's ambition to create the UK's Environment Capital...
Do it all here...
Peterborough Environment City Trust's Annual Report 2008 released
Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) has just released their annual report 2008 with highlights from all their green projects in Peterborough.
Find it here.
Find it here.
Peterborough United (POSH) go green to support Peterborough's ambition to become the UK's Environment Capital!
Players from POSH wear their green away kit and pose with Get a Green Grip bags to support Peterborough's environmental ambitions...
POSH is currently working with Business Envestors to help reduce their carbon footprint and keep the team green!
Peterborough Scrapheap Challenge
Find out about Peterborough's very own scrapheap challenge judged by Ch4's Dick Strawbridge and Jenna Hiley, Peterborough City Council's Climate Change Officer.
It was all organised by Peterborough Environment City Trust as part of a campaign to give rubbish a second chance. What is one person's rubbish is anothers' raw material. Re-use is the name of the game.
Visit: http://peterboroughscrapheap.blogspot.com to find out how the teams got on and who the winner was!
Thnaks to the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and John Lewis for their support of this event.
It was all organised by Peterborough Environment City Trust as part of a campaign to give rubbish a second chance. What is one person's rubbish is anothers' raw material. Re-use is the name of the game.
Visit: http://peterboroughscrapheap.blogspot.com to find out how the teams got on and who the winner was!
Thnaks to the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and John Lewis for their support of this event.
Monday, 17 November 2008
COUNCIL RECYCLING PROJECT IS NAMED BEST IN UK
A city project that reuses, repairs and recycles damaged fridges, washing machines and other white goods that are then sold back into the community has been named the best in the UK.Peterborough City Council's Electrical Appliance Recycling Project (EARP) which is a partnership between Peterborough City Council, Indesit Company and other key organisations was awarded the prestigious Electrical and Electronic Recycler of the Year and was shortlisted for the Best Partnership Project for Recycling at the National Recycling Awards 2008 at the Telford International Centre.
The aim of the project is to increase the city's recycling rates, encouraging regeneration of used electrical goods and providing a supply of affordable electrical appliances back into the community. Used or damaged white goods and computers are recycled either by repairing the items where possible or dismantling them and recycling the individual components.
Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for environment, said: "To win this award is fantastic news and a testament to how the people of Peterborough have embraced this initiative since its inception in November 2004. The partnership between the city council and Indesit Company has created a unique project that increases our recycling rates and helps boost the city’s green credentials."
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Eight shopping trolleys, eight traffic cones, 30 bags of general rubbish…and there was more!
The setting wasn’t the local tip, but the River Nene between Orton Longueville and the Town Bridge in Peterborough and the event was a major clean-up organised by Anglian Water as part of World Rivers Day.
A Peterborough Nene RiverCare Group was set up by Martin Ballard, Contracts Performance Manager, Asset Management, and together with Thorpe Wood House Building Co-ordinator Irene Pollock, who organised the volunteers for the day.
20 people, including Anglian Water employees and representatives from the Alliance, the Environment Agency and Natural England, worked their way down the two-mile route picking up litter from the bank side and the river’s edge. Their haul included trolleys, the cones and the bags of mixed rubbish that Peterborough City Council took away.
“The result was hugely satisfying, although the amount of rubbish was astounding! We could not have moved the heavier items if it weren’t for the help of Mr Steeple and Rail World’s tractor and trailer.” said Martin. “It was a great joint effort and we will repeat it twice a year now, hopefully involving more people from across Peterborough.”
RiverCare Project Co-ordinator Greg Hall added: “It was great to see volunteers from different organisations coming together and making such a difference to the stretch of river. It was one of the best clean-ups that I have been involved with to date.”
www.rivercare.org.uk
A Peterborough Nene RiverCare Group was set up by Martin Ballard, Contracts Performance Manager, Asset Management, and together with Thorpe Wood House Building Co-ordinator Irene Pollock, who organised the volunteers for the day.20 people, including Anglian Water employees and representatives from the Alliance, the Environment Agency and Natural England, worked their way down the two-mile route picking up litter from the bank side and the river’s edge. Their haul included trolleys, the cones and the bags of mixed rubbish that Peterborough City Council took away.
“The result was hugely satisfying, although the amount of rubbish was astounding! We could not have moved the heavier items if it weren’t for the help of Mr Steeple and Rail World’s tractor and trailer.” said Martin. “It was a great joint effort and we will repeat it twice a year now, hopefully involving more people from across Peterborough.”RiverCare Project Co-ordinator Greg Hall added: “It was great to see volunteers from different organisations coming together and making such a difference to the stretch of river. It was one of the best clean-ups that I have been involved with to date.”
www.rivercare.org.uk
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Debate...credit crunch vs going green
Check out this debate looking at whether the credit crunch is the best or the worst time to go green. Most people are suggesting it's the best time to stop wasting money and reduce energy, water and waste...
If you want to find out about reducing the costs of your business and cutting your carbon footprint Business Envestors might be able to help...
If you want to find out about reducing the costs of your business and cutting your carbon footprint Business Envestors might be able to help...
Did you know...?
Peterborough was designated one of four UK Environment Cities 15 years ago in 1993 along with Middlesbrough, Leicester and Leeds. Peterborough Environment City Trust was founded to ensure continued environmental progress was made.
Peterborough is home to the largest colony of great crested newts in Europe at the Hampton Nature Reserve.
Peterborough has one of the highest ratios of green space per person in the UK.
Peterborough is home to the largest colony of great crested newts in Europe at the Hampton Nature Reserve.
Peterborough has one of the highest ratios of green space per person in the UK.
Monday, 10 November 2008
Great Strides in Sustainable School Transport
Car journeys to school in Peterborough are on the decrease with recent figures showing that parents and children are turning towards more sustainable forms of travel; walking, cycling and public transport. The news follows lots of hard work in promoting and encouraging the use of more environmentally friendly forms of transport. Nicola Francis, Travelchoice Team Manager is delighted, “The latest figures are fantastic, it’s great to see people leaving their car at home and opting for a cleaner, greener and ultimately healthier trip to school. The challenge now is to encourage even more people to do the same and the Travelchoice is there to help”. Car journeys dropped from 30% of the total in 2007 to 26.9% in 2008. Public transport, walking and cycling rose from 67% to 72.8%.
Peterborough...Creating the UK's Environment Capital
Welcome to the blog!
This is the place that you can keep up to date with all the things going on as Peterborough moves closer towards it's goal of creating the UK's Environment Capital.
This is an exciting time for the city with the momentum behind all things green mounting. Everyone has a part to play in making Peterborough a cleaner, greener, healthier place to live, work and play.
We'll be posting hints and tips on green living on the blog too - so keep checking back to find out what you can do to help make Peterborough a capital city!
We want to use this blog to tell you about the environmental things going on in the city, but we also want to hear what you think. We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments so feel free to leave us some! We do moderate comments, but only for abusive, libellous or offensive comments.
Thankyou!!
This is the place that you can keep up to date with all the things going on as Peterborough moves closer towards it's goal of creating the UK's Environment Capital.
This is an exciting time for the city with the momentum behind all things green mounting. Everyone has a part to play in making Peterborough a cleaner, greener, healthier place to live, work and play.
We'll be posting hints and tips on green living on the blog too - so keep checking back to find out what you can do to help make Peterborough a capital city!
We want to use this blog to tell you about the environmental things going on in the city, but we also want to hear what you think. We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments so feel free to leave us some! We do moderate comments, but only for abusive, libellous or offensive comments.
Thankyou!!