Brand new website dedicated to swapping frocks!

Check out the beautiful dresses on offer...if you are looking for a lbd or a designer dress on the cheap visit www.swapafrock.co.uk

Pictures from the Green Marketing Conference

Guests wrote out their own name badges on scraps of material which had been rescued from a date with landfill by Re-store (Alladin's cave of unwanted, surplus and left-over stuff that businesses donate to community groups rather than dumping in a skip).



Listen to the audio from Jonathon Porritt's talk at the event by clicking here and going to 'presentations'.



Delegates made pledges to operate in a greener way.

Pics taken by Jessica Timms of Derby Quad - thanks Jess!

Eco-weekend

In addition to switching off this Saturday for Earth Hour (at 8.30pm), on Sunday it's Resurgence magazine's slow sunday...

Slow Sunday is organised by www.resurgence.org and is all about recognising that it’s the environment that pays the real price for our busy, fast-paced lifestyles.

In our recent past, Sunday was a day of rest – a day of reflection. Resurgence aims to make it a day where we consume less, reduce our food miles and our carbon footprint and also make it a day when we engage with our family, friends and local community.

Spend a day doing small things that will have a positive impact on the planet and on your health. Spend a day planting vegetables in your garden or for your window ledge – you’ll end up with some lovely home grown food with no food miles and no nasty pesticides. Bake bread from scratch – this is good fun and means you get delicious bread minus the huge carbon footprint of shop bought alternatives.

Download a fab bread recipe here...

Enjoy your eco-weekend!

Sign up and switch off for Earth Hour 2009...

On Saturday 28th March, at 8.30pm, people across the world will be switching off all their lights for an hour.

Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) wants as many local people as possible to take part and support the city’s ambition to become the UK’s Environment Capital.

Who’s taking part in Peterborough?

Janine Starling, Sustainable Communities Team Coordinator for Peterborough Environment City Trust: “I’m taking part! I plan to make sure I’ve cooked something for tea earlier in the day so I can have a candle-lit dinner then have a game of scrabble by candle-light.”

Ben Pawsey, Graphic Designer for PCL Marketing: ‘I’m persuading my local pub to take part and switch off all their lights. I’m going to enjoy a candle-lit pint with my friends. I think I’ll go for ale rather than a chilled lager because it uses less energy as it’s served at room temperature.”

See the video:

Jack Taylor, age 9 from Peterborough, opens Green Conference last week...

It was big day for seven-year-old Jack Taylor, from St Botolph's Primary School, as he opened the city's big event, the Green Marketing Conference 2009.

Jack explained that Peterborough is aiming to become the UK's Environment Capital so that younger generations have a planet in good condition to inherit.

More...

See the video of JAck opening the event here...

Peterborough firms recognised for good waste management...

Four Peterborough firms have been praised in the regional awards for resource efficiency held by Eastex materials exchange.

The Eastex awards, which were held earlier this month, highlighted the achievements of organisations striving to reduce business waste sent to landfill.


More...

Jonathon Porritt's visit to Peterborough...

It happened yesterday. Yes he was here, he talked, it was great. If you weren't there you missed out!!! Take it from me it was great!

Check out Jonathon's blog here.

Jonathon was speaking in the city as part of the Green Marketing Conference. Read more about the event here.

Eco Easter...

This year's crop of Easter eggs will be the greenest yet...The confectionery sector has reduced Easter egg packaging by at least 25%.

According to WRAP (Waste Resources Action Plan)...

Confectionery brands, manufacturers and retailers have achieved significant reductions in Easter egg packaging this year - with some eliminating over 50% of materials - tackling the 3,000 tonnes of Easter egg packaging produced in the UK each year.

The sector has been responding to increasing consumer pressure to reduce the amount of packaging used, with 59% of UK adults believing that Easter eggs are over-packaged and more wanting action to reduce it, according to recent research.1

Mark Barthel, special advisor for WRAP, said: “With significant packaging reductions achieved across a wide range of Easter eggs this year, it’s clear the industry is listening to customers and making changes that reduce the environmental impact of packaging, while helping customers to recycle more of it. They are also gaining the cost benefits of materials savings and improvements in distribution efficiency.”

WRAP has been working with a group of leading confectionery brands, manufacturers and retailers to support the delivery of this change across the sector, making it easier for the environmental and economic benefits to be delivered along with chocolate eggs this Easter.

Mark Barthel added: “With seasonal confectionery receiving criticism for excessive packaging over recent years, I’m delighted to see the sector responding so positively and collectively. Customers should see a real difference on supermarket shelves this year.”

As well as minimising the weight of packaging, the sector has significantly increased its use of recycled content in packaging - avoiding the need to use virgin materials - and have developed some useful, child-friendly advice on how to recycle it.

Fudge Factory rescues battery hens...

Peterborough Farmers' Market features a wide range of local produce including the delicious fudge hand-made by the Fudge Factory based in Market Deeping.

A recent addition to the produce on offer is lemon curd made with eggs from the farm's new hens which have been rescued and re-homed from a horrible battery farm. The hens are now free to roam and enjoyed their first ever dust bath a couple of weeks ago - bliss when all you've ever known is cramped, dark shed-ness.

If you've got a big garden you could give a battery hen a new lease of life.


You might also be interested in Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's campaign to get Tesco's to stock free range eggs...The Chicken Out campaign...

They've just run a competition to design a new (more truthful) label for Tesco's bargain bucket chicken.

One Hundred Months...

The campaign to save the planet in 100 months - before it's too late.

From the website: "We have 100 months to save our climate. When the clock stops ticking we could be beyond our climate's tipping point, the point of no return."

Peterborough is supporting this campaign so check it out!