Welcome to the web site of Middlesbrough Environment City (MEC). We are a locally based charity - one of only four environment cities in England.  Our aim is to encourage local people to live healthy and sustainable lives and to encourage partnerships to improve our local environment.  Middlesbrough has many challenges but also many opportunities. We have seen many improvements in our environment in recent years, including the cleaning up of the River Tees – where salmon and seals can be seen once more. However, much more remains to be done. At MEC we believe in both partnerships and grass roots action to bring about environmental improvements and as you look through our web site you will find plenty of evidence of both. MEC is supporting Middlesbrough Council in using the One Planet Living model to help local people live more sustainable lives, with improved quality of life and lower costs. 

The One Planet Living concept is based on acknowledging that the area of productive land and sea on planet Earth is limited, and that the human population is placing increasing demands on this finite resource which cannot be sustained. At present, Middlesbrough residents, in common with the whole UK population, are using resources as though society had three planets to support it.   For the long-term maintenance of reasonable living conditions, our demands must be reduced to one planet, but the challenge is to do this by improving environmental conditions and local well-being in an affordable way. I hope that the information on our website will encourage you to take action for our local environment, as individuals, families and as part of our community, to improve our quality of life today and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.