We are working with Peterborough City Council and a group of keen volunteers across the city to achieve Fairtrade targets in businesses, community groups and schools, in order to make Peterborough a Fairtrade City by February 2012.
Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By promoting, stocking and buying Fairtrade, it is possible to support communities all over the world.
With plenty of Fairtrade products available, it’s easy to make a difference. I’ve started buying Fairtrade tea, coffee and chocolate.
A great opportunity to support Fairtrade is to do something during One World Week. It’s happening now, starting with World UN Day yesterday and runs until the 30th October. Events are taking place throughout this special celebration to unite people from diverse backgrounds, encouraging learning about global justice and deliver action locally and globally.
Let us know what you already do or are planning to do for Fairtrade in your school, business or community group!
A new health walk for PECT’s iphone app ‘Walk Peterborough’ mobile explorer is being developed thanks to sponsorship from Sustainable Transport Team Travelchoice.
The new walk will give staff at the City Hospital a chance to stretch their legs for half an hour or so and walk to High Lees Spinney, a small woodland near Bretton Park. Visitors and local residents will also be able to enjoy the walk.
PECT’s Penny Fletcher has been developing the 2km route over the past few weeks with help from some Bretton locals and hospital staff. The photo shows Penny recording the route on a GPS so it can be uploaded to the magic app software and be added to the app store. Her next step is to record the audio guide for app.
In the first week of November hospital staff will be trying the new walk out for size at the exciting launch event!
The app is available to everyone and already features a number of routes in different parts of Peterborough, including health and nature walks with interest points.
Our ‘Warm Homes Peterborough’ project has won a national Green Apple Environment Award, recognising environmental best practice!
We are thrilled to win the award and it’s a tribute to the commitment and enthusiasm of residents who undertook the project.
The two year project helped to alleviate fuel poverty by delivering energy-saving advice, resources and practical help to 1,500 households in deprived areas of Peterborough.
Tenants reduced consumption through simple behaviour changes and 23% secured a cheaper energy supply tariff. Follow-up research indicated that our advice helped these residents save a combined total of £25,145 per year on their energy bills, while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by over 100 tonnes per year.
It was very fulfilling to help families cut their energy bills, whilst making long-term reductions in their carbon footprint and conserving limited natural resources.
Green Flag status is the highest award obtainable as part of the International Eco-Schools programme. Well done – it is an exceptional achievement!
Eye Primary School has worked hard to embed eco-awareness, enthusiasm for environmental issues and green principles into the heart of school life.
Their main focus has been reducing food waste to lower their environmental impact. One of the main activities during their eco-week was to compare areas of the world with populations suffering from hunger with those that produce masses of food waste.
An introductory assembly from council experts launched a composting scheme and the whole school actively compost, with pupils demonstrating their hands-on understanding of the process. In an exciting competition, pupils created posters to encourage composting action and awareness.
Pupils now collect and compost their packed lunch and snack leftovers for use on the school allotments. All classes have waste monitors and their own compost collectors. There are plans to increase the number of compost bins around the school.
After examining school meals and conducting a food waste survey, the school kitchen menu has been transformed to lower waste generated. Lunches are freshly prepared on the premises by specialist catering staff and served in the popular ‘Much and Crunch’ school restaurant.
The uptake of school lunches has doubled in the last year! Meals are healthy, nutritious and of course tasty – so less waste is produced. Another survey is scheduled to calculate how successful waste reduction has been.
The special Green Flag award symbolises excellence in environmental activity. This is a brilliant accomplishment. Congratulations!
John Clare Primary School green efforts range from a walking bus and garden club, to installing energy saving features and altering behaviour patterns to lower their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency.
The motto 'At John Clare...we take care' is having a real impact, with children beginning to understand the importance of 'taking care' of our environment!
Their new extension has a sedum-covered roof, recycled insulation and energy-saving light sensors. They generate their own energy from solar panels and are the first school in Peterborough to use a biomass boiler. The new biomass boiler has saved approx. £2,000 compared to the old oil fuelled boiler, which is money that has been spent on the children!
Pupils from Year 1-6 form the Eco Warriors team. They understand how the biomass boiler and solar panels work, and have done a fantastic job communicating this to the whole school.
As part of a ‘Switch off’ campaign, the Eco Warriors carry out monthly meter readings and publish the results on their eco notice board. An ‘invisible’ Green Fairy does spot checks and rewards the best performing energy saving class.
A special family assembly celebrated our new Green Flag level and also other recent awards including, the Peterborough Energy Award, the Eco-leader Award for Mrs Bacon and the ET Environmental Education Award!
Everyone is invited to come and celebrate the exciting re-launch of local club!
Plenty of fun family activities are planned for the event, including; tug of war, bale rolling, egg and spoon race, craft stalls, cake stalls, trade stands, pedal tractor arena, bouncy castle, cow milking, wellie decorating, a delicious BBQ and much more...!
There will also be cooking, floral, vegetable and photography competitions (for children and adults). Make sure you enter by 11.15am on the day for a chance to win.
Peterborough is the heart of a important agricultural area, with lots of farmers producing tasty food on our flat, fertile land. Coming along to this event is a great way to learn more about where we live, support local food and also the local community!
Entry fee is by donations to the Kidney Research UK appeal.
Event Details
Date: Sunday 11th September
Time: 11am – 3pm
Venue: The Bull Pub, Guntons Road, Newborough, Peterborough, PE6 7QW.
PECT are working with the Santander Foundation to deliver some special free Greeniversity courses. The courses are specifically tailored to teach ‘green skills’ to adults with learning difficulties, disabilities and/or mental health problems.
Find out what’s coming up
A weekly fitness zumba style class takes place on Wednesday mornings throughout August, from 12.30pm-1.30pm at 49 Lincoln Road. The venue is a drop-in centre for adults with learning disabilities and to attend the session you must be a member of the centre.
Every Tuesday morning in August from 11.00am-12.00pm is a gardening and outdoor crafts course at Peterborough’s community garden ‘The Green Backyard.’ It is limited to 10 places per session so get in touch to reserve your place.
Starting on the 23rd August from 10.30am to 11.30am is a Sound Therapy course, held at the Eco Innovation Centre. There will be four sessions in total. The following courses are on the 6th, 20th and 27th September. Book ahead to secure your place - only seven spaces!
For more information and to sign up for a course...
On the 12th August is the free Environmental Sculpture event at Ferry Meadows Country Park from 1pm to 3pm.
During this event you will be joined by a Nene Park Trust Ranger and have the chance to use natural materials from Nene Park to create your own environmental sculpture. It’s a fun, outdoor, green event for children to enjoy this summer!
It’s a popular course with limited space. So click here to sign up now and reserve your place. Meeting point for the course is at the Visitor Centre.
There’s a variety of other Greeniversity courses coming up. Visit the website to find out what’s on and get involved! You could even volunteer and be a Greeniversity teacher.
Congratulations John Clare Primary School who are winners of the ET Education Environmental Award.
The entire Eco Committee attending the ceremony to collect their well deserved award! The children were thrilled and it was a great opportunity to recognise their efforts, achievements and enthusiasm.
Head Teacher Martin Fry and Eco Coordinator Helen Bacon are inspirational leaders, achieving Eco Schools Green Flag status and driving forward environmental initiatives.Mr Fry is leaving and will be sorely missed so winning the award was extra special.
Throughout the year, the Green Team Eco Warriors have been busy promoting energy reducing behaviour in the school. They even made a film to launch their Switch off Campaign. Trying to transform John Clare into a sustainable school, pupils are also redeveloping their garden area following the building of an extension.
The ET Education Awards will be recognising and rewarding the enthusiasm, hard work and achievements from across Peterborough. Iqra Academy is very excited to find out if they have won the Environmental Award!
A fantastic group of year 9 girls and their teacher Nasibah Zaib from Iqra Academy have been working with PECT on the 'Faith in the Environment' project. The project helps people of different faiths understand how their lifestyle choices impact the environment.
They have been busy raising awareness of environmental issues in the Muslim community, encouraging their families to live environmentally friendly lifestyles. Taking part in workshops, they have learnt about climate change and carbon footprints. Using this knowledge they have also been making their schools more sustainable. Next year they will be creating an exhibition to host in the museum.
Other well deserved finalists include the Altruism Group from Ken Stimpson Community School who have set up an aluminium can recycling scheme, to earn money for charity. Helen Bacon and Martin Fry from John Clare Primary School have been nominated for their inspirational green leadership, reducing the schools energy use and achieving an Eco School Green Flag.