Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) is a green charity that works with schools, businesses, communities, and local people to create a cleaner, greener, healthier city. We plan to turn Peterborough into the UK’s environment capital – a real exemplar of a sustainable city.

Our work at PECT is about making these plans a reality. We’ve established a 45 mile network of cycle routes, we’re helping teachers incorporate the environment into lessons and we’re even going door-to-door around the city helping people go green.

As we are always encouraging other people to reduce their environmental impact we have to make sure our own house is in order. We’ve been going for 17 years so we’ve had a while to get this sorted. 10:10 is great because it made us look again to check we are doing everything we possibly can. We’re now gradually replacing our old computer equipment with energy-efficient stuff.

10:10 is great because it made us look again to check we are doing everything we possibly can

Another reason 10:10 is great is because it provides a clear goal and a focus for our efforts. The 10:10 ethos is something we use particularly in our work with businesses in Peterborough. They are all very different, but we’re helping them work together to reduce their carbon footprint. Some are clubbing together to buy insulation, others are sharing recycling facilities, many are now sharing waste collections keeping dust-cart trips to a minimum. We’re even working with Royal Mail to install a new postbox because at the moment each business individually drives to the post office in the city centre.

When we talk about Peterborough’s ambition to become the Environment Capital some are quick to give reasons why this is unattainable. It’s impossible to be the greenest at everything all the time, but having a goal (however audacious) gives everyone something to aim for and motivates people to get involved. And that’s what being an environment capital is all about.