CAT Visit

On Thursday 25th October we visited

the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Wales.

Set in the depths of the Welsh mountains, CAT is a visitor centre which "demonstrates the practical solutions for sustainability" and aims to educate the public on how we can make alternative choices to benefit our planet - focusing mainly on green living, eco-sanitisation, organic growing, woodland management and environmental building.

The centre itself was built sustainably in an abandoned slate quarry, and there was only one way to reach it - using their very one water-balanced cliff railway (as shown below). This method gathers and releases water depending on the weight of the number of passengers riding, using no electricity what-so-ever.

During our visit, we were given a talk by Jo, a member of staff at the CAT centre. Jo gave us a presentation on sustainability and how we can make changes to our lifestyle to benefit the greater good. He quoted from websites such as GapMinderWorld.com, and even from the video; The Story of Stuff. After a more general take on the subject, he narrowed it down to the building we were in - the WISE (Wales Institute for Sustainable Education) building, and exactly how it was built. We were given a box of different building materials (most of which were eco-friendly and mostly uncommon to us as "building materials") our job was to name each material, we then learnt how they were used as a part of the building.

I found this useful, as it was then clear to me that as not only a nation, but as a planet, we have the choice. We do not have to use these highly toxic, high in energy resources in order to build and live comfortable lives. We can just as easily live using natural resources. And although Jo also made the understandable point that "simply recycling won't diminish the issue", there are other options. It was suggested that to really put a dent in this downward spiral, we must put a stop our constant consuming.


On Reflection:

Had you heard of CAT before you came on the module? 
I had not heard of CAT before this module.


Please give your thoughts on the 3x most notable points raised in the sustainability lecture on site
I gathered from the talk by Jo that although recycling can only be positive - as, it stands, it is not making much of a difference in the long run. If we want to live fully sustainable lives, we must make bigger commitments and focus not only on what we are recycling from our groceries and smaller, menial things, but more so on our housing materials, our ways of central heating and our use of natural resources.


Please give your thoughts on the 3x most notable things picked up while at CATAfter the talk from Jo and exploring the grounds around CAT, I picked up on a few things about the centre. For example, the solar panels on the roof instead of using a central heating system with gas (these were facing South in order to use optimum sun power throughout the day). Jo had also mentioned that they use fibre glass, compressed wood and wool as insulation inside the walls of the building.

Now you've had time to reflect, what 3x things gained from the CAT visit might you bring forward into your ideas and developments for the sustainable packaging brief? 
Since visiting CAT I have gained an inside look at how sustainable housing really works, and I feel the talk by Jo was greatly beneficial as it filled in the gaps and answered any questions I had.