They say all good things come to an end, and my employment at Peterborough Environment City Trust is no exception.
I’ll soon be trading the green hat of the environmentalist for the mortarboard cap of the student, but I’ll be taking many lessons away from my time at PECT. Chief amongst these is a heightened awareness of my environmental impact– how small actions can amount to big changes such as waste stream management and buying locally sourced organic food. Hopefully I’ll be able to stick to these changes over the coming years! I’ll be studying Media at Peterborough University, with plans to branch off into the creative side of the industry such as Graphic Design and 3D Modelling after graduation. I’d love to work in the video game, movie or journalism industry, as I’ve studied Media before and really enjoyed it. Being the editor of a magazine or the creative brains behind a video games company would be fantastic, but I’m well aware my career path may land me somewhere entirely different.
But enough about the future – today is my final day at PECT! We just had a very tasty lunch for my send-off, with delicious butternut squash soup made by Janine (with crusty baguette to dip) and nachos, coleslaw, humus and beans provided by the team. Karen made us a hearty pudding to follow - pancakes served with crème fraiche and home-made rosehip syrup. I was also handed my going-away card which contains memorable photos and really cool messages. Thank you everyone!
I’ve had a great time at PECT and will keep in touch after I begin University. Since working here I’ve realised how much dedication has gone into making Peterborough the UK’s Environment Capital, and would like to think I helped it along the path in some ways. I’d also like to give a shout out to the Future Jobs Fund, a lovely bunch of people who gave me all the support I needed during my time here. Thanks everyone, it’s been brilliant and I’ve learned so much!
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve witnessed first-hand the steps Peterborough is taking in order to make a positive impact on the environment, and the experience has been a breath of fresh air.
Large businesses have a reputation for being environmentally unsound, and who can blame them – it’s not easy to manage gigantic sums of money, hundreds of outlets and thousands of employees whilst keeping an eye on the small details like what cardboard goes in the bins at a small branch. Despite this it’s becoming increasingly apparent that environmentally-friendly business practices are possible in the largest of chains.
Early this month I visited Queensgate to chat with their environmental officer and witness the lengths they have gone to make a difference. What I saw there was inspirational – a large majority of the shopping centre’s major firms are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Most stores within Queensgate separate their waste streams into eight categories, which are dealt with in appropriate manners. Cardboard is crushed together by a massive machine called a baler, which crushes boxes into compact cubes which can be sent off in bulk to be recycled, saving petrol from multiple road trips. The same goes for polythene wrapping, which is crushed and sent to recycling plants. Even the skips Queensgate use are locally sourced and rigorously monitored. Another great initiative is one taken on by McDonalds who send their oil off to be re-used. It gets converted into bio-fuel, which is far less damaging to the environment than regular fuels.
It comes as no surprise that Queensgate have received so many awards. With accolades such as Green accreditation from Investors in the Environment to Retail Recycler of the Year at the National Recycling Awards the staff at Queensgate should be proud of themselves. But as I found out last week, it’s not just large companies which can make an environmental difference.
Last Wednesday I visited Best Deal 4 Baby, a Community Interest Company which helps new mums with everything they could need to raise their children in a sustainable manner. From their massive collection of affordable baby clothes and equipment to their excellent day courses, Best Deal 4 Baby has a lot to offer. But from an environmental standpoint this is just the tip of the iceberg. Recently the company relocated its premises and decided to make the process as green as possible. For a start over 90% of their furnishings were re-used, with many examples being donated and saved from landfill. Everything from carpet tiles, doors and even computers were locally sourced. Their toilet cubicle doors were once wooden pallets – after being cut to shape and secured to the stalls with hinges they look terrific! One of the greatest things I took from my visit was the sense of solidarity in the team, who seemed more like a family than co-workers.
These examples prove that with a little effort and forethought it is possible for businesses to conduct sustainable business practice. There’s just no excuse for sending recyclable or reusable materials to landfill when there are so many services designed to support environmental conduct.
Since starting work at PECT I’ve found myself subconsciously changing a lot of the “bad habits” I’ve picked up over the years. Take my waste streams for example; before I would bung every bit of organic waste into a plastic bag and throw it down the trash chute, whereas now I single out my teabags, banana peels and even the odd bit of paper and create my own compost, which I plan to use on plants for my balcony or donate to my mum’s back garden. I’m also more aware of my energy consumption and make a conscious effort to turn off plugs at the wall socket, especially my mobile phone charger and computer.
Perhaps the greatest changes I’ve gone through in recent weeks have been to my diet. No longer do I feast on supermarket own-brand noodles, loaves of bleached-white bread and tinned food such as baked beans and spaghetti shapes, now I tuck into fresh vegetable-filled wraps, couscous, salads, humous and other healthy delights. Gone is the cheap pasta I used to eat by the bucketload with thick wedges of butter and cheese melted in, give me a bowl of brown pasta or rice with a nice home-made sauce any day! Rather than snacking on packs of heavily salted potato crisp and corn junk I try to scoff a banana, plum or peach. Not only is it more wholesome but it has made positive changes to my mood and general well-being. I feel more energetic and optimistic!
Of course it’s not just what you eat but where it comes from. Consuming cheap fruit and vegetables is better than forgoing them entirely for junk, but it does well to pay attention to the source of your food. One important factor to consider is the chemicals used in the raising of crops; there is far too much genetic modification and crop spraying about these days. Mass-produced walls of chemically-altered produce are rife, with rows of uncanny apples and identical pears lining our supermarket shelves. And the worst thing is they lose much of their taste in the process.
The best fruit and vegetables are sourced locally, with tried-and-tested methods of growing proving to be the most wholesome. Not just does this ensure your favourite foods are tasty and organic but buying locally vastly reduces “food miles”, which is the distance food generally travels before it reaches the consumer. Did you know food travels between 1,500 – 2,500 miles before landing on your plate? Imagine all that fuel burning a hole in our atmosphere, horrible! Another negative aspect of cheap food is the packaging. Not just is there generally too much of it but the materials used are often non-recyclable, meaning the only option is to add to landfill. The only cure for these problems is sensible shopping and consideration for our actions on a global scale.
These examples show that little changes can make big differences, and that one positive action tends to follow another. It’s not just in our personal lives, this philosophy works on a business-scale too. Take Investors in the Environment for example, who help companies take steps towards their green accreditation. They offer free seminars on a regular basis on a plethora of ecological subjects, from water efficiency, waste stream management and more. These are all small steps which can make massive differences if properly implemented, saving energy, money and reducing carbon footprints.
So what small positive changes can you make in your life?
Family Cookery – Healthy Eating
Learn to cook healthy meals for the whole family at City College Peterborough Family Arts/Crafts – Natural Medium
Take part in a lesson which will open your eyes to green creativity Family Gardening
Flex those green fingers and get stuck into gardening with the kids
Sunday 11th July
Dragonfly Day
Get dragonfly-spotting at the Castor Hanglands for a fun day out Nordic Walking Taster Session
For those who fancy getting fit and healthy with an innovative walking technique Another Nene Way
A refreshing walk for all ages with an experienced teacher
Monday 12th July
BBQ Heaven
Learn how to make sumptuous side dishes for your barbecue favourites Green on Public Speaking
Conquer your fear of public speaking with Anglia Communications
Tuesday 13th July
The Business of Heritage
A workshop aimed to educate those working in the heritage sector, both paid and voluntary
Thursday 15th July
Happiness through the Art of Meditation
Refresh your mind and heighten your senses though the ancient art of meditation
Saturday 17th July
Baby Café
One of many weekly talks aimed at new mums throughout Peterborough
For further details, to enrol on any of these free courses or to chat on our forum go to: www.greeniversity.org.uk
Greeniversity is the free and easy choice for learning green skills and making friends.
What we do with our waste streams is becoming a greater concern with our current economic climate and the welfare of the planet as a whole. As landfill sites become a less viable solution we have to ask ourselves how much of that waste could have been put to better use. Items made of wood and plastic derivatives can generally be recycled, while organic material can be composted or mulched rather than decomposing in landfill and producing harmful greenhouse gases.
In many cases there are even better uses for a great deal of this material, with many small businesses and companies desperate for items which are simply thrown away. Re-using unwanted materials is better than recycling as it cuts the cost of landfill tax, saves the energy consumed by recycling and saves a great deal of money compared to buying new.
This is where the Eastex Materials Exchange comes in, acting as a go-between for people with unwanted materials and people who need them. Anything from office furniture, wooden pallets and even pot pourri has been found a happy new home. Essentially Eastex acts like Freecycle but on a larger scale – whereas Freecycle would re-home one chair Eastex would do the same for one hundred.
Have a think about what you throw away – you may be surprised to learn over 70% of the average waste stream is re-usable. So log on, sign up and get re-using!
Have you ever heard the evocative sound of a hissing steam engine drifting through the air? If so there’s a good chance it came from Railworld, the ever-expanding locomotive history site in Woodston. On Monday 21st June Railworld was host to an open event which saw many local faces get together and have a good natter including the Mayor of Peterborough himself, Keith Sharp.
The Greeniversity held a stand in the Environmental Education Centre, which is situated in a wildlife haven called the Peterborough Environmental Project, an ever-expanding natural area which is cultivated daily by the hard-working Railworld team. The building is home to several projects including a large rotating globe of the world and a bicycle machine which showed how much pedal power it takes to generate electricity. I had a go on it and could only manage to generate 400 watts, phew!
There was also a stand representing the Peterborough Materials Recycling Facility in Fengate which taught visitors proper recycling habits as well as which materials aren’t currently recycled. I learned that paper egg boxes can’t be recycled due to them having already been recycled multiple times. But don’t just toss them in the rubbish – ripped up egg boxes are a fine addition for your compost bin!
Make sure to visit when you have some spare time; it’s a lovely addition to the glorious natural landscape of Woodston. And if you fancy a day out, why not hop aboard that delightful steam train and take a ride to Ferry Meadows?
Peterborough's town square was buzzing with the launch of the Green Festival on Saturday 29th May, with hundreds of people braving the rain to take part. There were a variety of activities and entertainment to green the senses. The PECT team were there bright and early to set things up and inform the public on what's new and green in Peterborough.
Karen, Patrick, Janine and myself oversaw the Greeniversity stand, where we engaged people about the website, what green skills were on offer from Greeniversity, and handed out green goodies. The stand was host to four mini-workshops which drew in an eager crowd. Sue's Nordic Walking session got peoplewalking laps round the town square, while John's net-making taster gave people an idea of the methods used to catch wild food and fish. In the afternoon we had a drumming workshop kindly hosted by Darren, which added some tribal rhythm to the square! Finally our very own Rachel Huxley provided us with a fun cooking demonstration (cooking equipment provided from Greeniversity’s resource library). I was pleased with the interest generated by our stall, and hope to see more students and teachers sign-up in the near future. Overall the day was a soggy success, and everyone had a lot of fun getting stuck in and meeting new people. I'd like to shout out a big thank you to everyone who helped on the day, and to those who turned up and took part! If you’re interested in what Greeniversity has to offer visit the website and sign up now! It costs nothing to register and we make sure all courses are not-for-profit, So... what are you waiting for?
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