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The Nuclear Free Local Authorities have sent the Centre for Alternative Technology – CAT for short – their congratulations for its fiftieth anniversary and best wishes for the success of its anniversary Summer Celebration this Saturday 19 August.
CAT was first established in 1973 at the height of the Oil Crisis in a disused slate quarry near Machynlleth on the edge of the Eryri National Park in Mid-Wales by a group of visionaries committed to establishing an off-grid community without being reliant on fossil fuels. In 1974, CAT attracted its first royal visitor, HRH Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and, in 1975, the visitor centre opened on site to the public showcasing the latest technologies and sustainable lifestyles.
From early beginnings as a testbed for renewable energy, low carbon construction, and sustainable agriculture, CAT has since grown to become a centre of excellence in the deployment of renewable technologies and in sustainable living. Since 2007, the organisation has primarily focused upon the Zero Carbon Britain project, which seeks to establish a model for how the UK could reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions using technology available today. In that same year, CAT’s Graduate School of the Environment opened in 2007, and there is now a varied educational programme from weekend courses up to post-graduate degrees, as well as a volunteering programme.
Over 50 years, the site has been completely transformed from one of dereliction to a vibrant facility with onsite accommodation, an education and conference centre, exhibitions and displays of technologies, a café offering a range of home-grown vegan produce, diverse wildlife habitats, gardens, woodlands, ponds, and you arrive on a water-balanced funicular railway.
Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, Chair of the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities, said this of CAT:
“It is interesting to think that as CAT opened its visitor centre in 1975, millions of Britons were sitting down to watch the BBC’s latest sitcom ‘The Good Life’ in which the central characters Mr and Mrs Good attempt to become totally self-sufficient in their Surbiton suburban home. But unlike that TV series which ended in 1978, the CAT has continued to deliver ‘the Goods’, going from strength-to-strength for five decades.
“The inspirational work that CAT carries out in educating, informing, and empowering people and professionals to make sustainable choices in lifestyle, food production, construction and in energy generation are becoming more and more important as we see our Earth increasingly in crisis, with extreme heatwaves and rampant wildfires seen again in recent days.
“We need the knowledge and the technologies that have been championed by CAT in every home, every community building, and every business if we are together truly to address the existential threat of the climate emergency.
“As the NFLA’s represent local authorities championing renewables and sustainable living, we consider CAT to be kindred spirits with shared values and aims. As Chair, I am therefore delighted and honoured to be able to send CAT our congratulations on its fiftieth anniversary and our best wishes for the next 50 more.”
CAT will be holding its family-friendly Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations this Saturday 19 August from 10am to 5:30pm. All are welcome and its free entry all day.
Details about the event can be found at: https://cat.org.uk/events/cat-at-50-summer-celebration/
How to get to CAT can be found at: https://cat.org.uk/visiting/plan-your-visit/getting-to-cat/
The history of the first fifty years of CAT can be found at: https://cat.org.uk/history-2/
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For more information, please contact NFLA Secretary Richard Outram by email on richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk or mobile 07583097793
