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Author: billy.aiken

CAT Story: Alice Breeveld

Graduating from CAT in 2023, we recently heard from Alice about how she’s putting her Masters in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources into practice.

From using her newly gained skillset to make sustainable changes in her role as a Senior Research fellow at UCL, to putting the confidence she gained into action as a volunteer for her local climate action group, Alice’s story is an inspiring read for all of us at CAT!

Q. What was your background before enrolling at CAT?

I studied physics and astronomy at university and have been working for several decades in space science at UCL, initially in detector physics and then working on the calibration of optical and ultraviolet space telescopes. I have also been involved in some astronomy research.

I still had my job and so did the course over a number of years. I loved each and every module. The week onsite was immersive, with dawn to dusk concentration, and total absorption. I dreaded the assignments, each time convincing myself I would never be able to do it, but by setting aside enough time, talking to other students and my tutor, I persevered and completed each one on time.

Q. What made you choose to study at the Graduate School?

For many years, I have been anxious about climate change. Once my children were nearly grown up I felt it was time to follow my passion, and get ready to change to a new career, and taking an MSc at CAT seemed like the perfect way to study while keeping working. All the courses looked ultra interesting, but having been brought up on an organic smallholding, and having my own allotment, I felt the sustainable food MSc would be the best fit. I went to an open day in 2016 and started in 2017. It was the best decision ever.

Q. What impact did your studies have?

The onsite weeks and assignments taught me loads about each topic, but I also felt I was building up really useful set of skills. I felt a real sense of achievement after each module.

Result: a huge boost to my confidence in my ability to navigate huge amounts of material and pick out the key points, write things in different styles, and communicate with people. In the past, when I might have been having a conversation with someone about climate change, I would assume they knew more than me and that they were the expert and I knew little, especially if they were men. Now I feel I am (sometimes) the expert and can talk more confidently. I have a new respect for myself.

Q. What are your future plans?

As for my career, I have not made that planned change partly because my department gave me a new project, but also after much thinking and discussion (and an Outrage and Optimism podcast episode on what people can do in the workplace), I came to the realisation that we need activists EVERYWHERE. It is no good if anyone who cares about climate leaves their work to look for ‘green’ jobs. We need people leading from within.

I now have a small but dedicated, and growing, team of people at work following the Green Impact programme. We have made a sustainability plan for our department, which has been accepted-ish by management. I also lead a Wild Space group making our grounds more biodiverse and inspiring staff and students. I wrote a sustainable management plan for the grounds separately. We planted an orchard, have a wildflower meadow, have reptile refugia etc.

Outside of work, I am now acting as secretary to a local climate action group trying to raise awareness of climate change in the community. We are very close to launching a library of things in collaboration with our local library and a retirement village.

None of this would have happened without my new-found confidence and self-respect.

A Heartening Reminder

The way Alice paired the confidence and skillset gained from her Masters with her own passion is a great reminder of why we do what we do at CAT’s Graduate School…we aim to mobilise the determination within! And the ways that Alice is enacting changes in her workplace and community is a heartening read for all of us at CAT!

If you have a story to share about how CAT has had an impact on your life, work or experiences, we’d love to hear them.

STUDY AT CAT

Inspired by Alice’s story? Find out more about our Masters in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources or other courses on one of our next Graduate School open days , or get in touch with our Admissions Team study@cat.org.uk 01654 705974.

April 3, 2026
Enriching learning through residential field trips

Our recent chat with UCL Lecturer Nick Hughes, who brought some of his students on a visit to CAT in November, was a great reminder of the important work our education team does, inspiring visitors to act for a more sustainable future.

Here at the Centre for Alternative Technology, we are always delighted to welcome visiting University Groups to our home in the heart of Mid Wales.

Visiting students bring their own backgrounds and interests with them, whether they are future engineers, prospective natural scientists, creative practitioners or anywhere in between. For our team here at CAT, being able to share what we have learnt about sustainability and hopefully inspire action is why we do what we do, and we treasure the opportunity to make sustainability a part of visiting students’ learning journey.

Nick Hughes, a lecturer at UCL, has consistently visited CAT over the years and recently brought some Masters students on a residential field trip so that they could compliment their studies with holistic examples of sustainability in action, up close and in real-time.

A Holistic Approach to Sustainability

“In just a few days the students see and experience sustainable natural building techniques, ecological management, conservation agriculture, sustainable water and waste management, and various kinds of renewable energy technologies. It’s an inspiring and invigorating experience.”

Enriched learning leads to enriched solutions and being a place where students can build on their own knowledge and progress in their educational journey is a heartening experience for us all at CAT. Being able to offer these holistic and hands-on insights into the many facets of sustainability means that we can place emphasis on the integrated approach needed to tackle the climate crisis.

Hands on experiences that compliment learning

“CAT’s holistic approach to sustainable directly complements the key learning objectives of our programme but further gives students the opportunity for up close and hands on experiences. We wanted a place where students would feel comfortable and enjoy being together but also would have the chance to engage in practical learning activities of direct relevance, but also complementary to, the modules that we teach them as part of our own programme.”

The CAT site is home to a host of sustainable solutions in action, from renewable energy to sustainably constructed buildings, Zero Carbon Britain research, sustainable resource management and beyond. The variety of these examples has the capacity to appeal to different student interests and harness their imagination as they proceed in their studies.

“The students consistently give us excellent feedback on the field trip. They really appreciate the activities, the expert guidance and the welcoming atmosphere, which makes them feel wholly at home.”

Getting to be part of the learning journey of future changemakers is a real privilege, no matter how big or small, and it is always a pleasure to hear back from those who visit!

If you have a CAT story that you would like to share, we would love to hear it…share your story today.

Bring your University to CAT

To learn more about CAT’s group-visit offer and to make an enquiry, please visit cat.org.uk/groups-learning or email education@cat.org.uk.

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March 11, 2026
Leading with Nature: Regenerative Leadership for Women
We recently talked to tutor Rhian Sherrington about a new immersive course planned at CAT that aims to empower women working in sustainability to lead on creating change.

This July, CAT will host Leading with Nature: Regenerative Leadership for Women, a new three‑day immersive course created in partnership with leadership trainer and executive coach Rhian Sherrington, founder of the Women in Sustainability Network.

At a time when the world urgently needs leaders who can navigate complexity with empathy, clarity and courage, many women working in sustainability and impact-focused roles are feeling the strain. Their work is deeply meaningful, but the systems around them often make that work far harder than it should be.

Q: How did this course come about?

For over twelve years, I’ve worked closely with women who are dedicating their careers to sustainability, climate action, environmental protection and social impact. Across that time, I’ve witnessed something striking, women are profoundly driven to create change, yet the systems they work within often make that change far harder than it needs to be.

Leadership, despite progress, is still a gendered experience. Women encounter barriers that are both visible and invisible, from balancing workload and caring demands to navigating unconscious bias and a persistent authority gap. What I see, again and again, is that women working to advance sustainability frequently do so with low budgets, limited resources and high expectations. Much of their influence comes not from positional power but from persuasion, relationship building and emotional labour.

At the same time, these women carry a deep awareness of the climate and biodiversity crises unfolding around us. They understand the urgency. They feel the weight of it. This combination of responsibility, urgency and limited resourcing creates a unique toll, one that often goes unrecognised.

Q: How can we change our understanding of what leadership looks like?

Much of the struggles faced by women in leadership stem from the leadership models we’ve inherited. Many of our dominant approaches to leadership have been shaped by extractive thinking, with an emphasis on competition, hierarchy, speed and control. These approaches are increasingly misaligned with the challenges we now face.

Research shows what many of us intuitively understand, that the leadership qualities needed for a thriving, resilient future includes empathy, compassion, agility, deep listening and systems thinking. These are human skills, not gendered ones, but many women have developed them through lived experience and socialisation.

Too often, these strengths have been dismissed as ‘soft skills’ or seen as less valuable than more traditional command-and-control styles. Yet they are precisely the skills required to navigate uncertainty, build trust, and lead transformative change.

When women are able to lead as themselves, not squeezing into a mould that was never designed for them, and when leadership teams are genuinely diverse, organisations listen better, collaborate better and avoid the pitfalls of groupthink.

This is not about pitching women against men. It is about recognising that our current structures were designed under a narrow worldview, and that we now need leadership that reflects the complexity of the systems we’re working to transform.

Q: Why Regenerative Leadership?

To move forward, we need to shift from extractive to regenerative leadership – leadership that renews rather than depletes, that supports long-term impact rather than short-term wins.

Regenerative leadership asks us to recognise ourselves as part of living systems. It invites us to pay attention to patterns, relationships and interdependence. It encourages us to lead in ways that are sustainable not just for our organisations but for ourselves.

One of the most damaging leadership myths we still carry is the idea that nature is ultimately competitive. But when we look closely at ecological systems, we find that competition is only one small part of the story, and mostly visible in early stages of succession. Healthy ecosystems are defined by collaboration, diversity and connectivity.

A forest does not thrive because one tree dominates; it thrives because each tree finds its niche within a wider web of relationships.

This is the inspiration behind Leading with Nature. It is an invitation to reimagine leadership by learning from nature’s own regenerative intelligence.

Q: Why is this course only aimed at women?

Systemic change will not be driven by women alone. Meaningful transformation requires leadership from all genders. But women-only spaces remain essential because they create psychological safety. They allow women to explore lived experiences, examine internalised patterns, build confidence and develop new language for their leadership, free from scrutiny or judgement.

Over the past twelve years, I have seen how transformative this can be. When women come together in supportive, purposeful environments, they leave with a stronger sense of clarity, courage and direction. They return to their workplaces better equipped to influence culture, find allies and create change from within.

What to Expect from the Course

Leading with Nature: Regenerative Leadership for Women, developed with CAT, is designed for mid-senior and senior women working in sustainability, climate, environment and social impact.

Over three days, we will:
- immerse ourselves in nature to reconnect with our own inner resources
- explore in practical ways what regenerative leadership looks like
- unpack challenges relating to authority, urgency, invisible labour and over-responsibility
- use systems-thinking tools such as TetraMap to understand patterns in ourselves and our teams
- work with real situations brought by participants
- build community with peers who share similar pressures and purpose
The intention is for each woman to leave with renewed energy, greater clarity, and practical tools to influence their organisational cultures more effectively, while resourcing themselves more sustainably.

This course brings together more than a decade of insights from the Women in Sustainability Network, alongside regenerative business approaches from my contributing tutor, Janine Barron. Together, we will explore what it means to create leadership that is future-fit, rooted in nature, and aligned with who we truly are.

This is an inclusive course, open to anyone who identifies as a woman.

Join Us

If you are a woman working in sustainability, climate, environment or social impact, and you feel the strain of leading within systems that aren’t designed for the future we need, this course is for you.

The course runs from 3 to the 5 July and a monthly payment plan option is available.

Click here for more details

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March 6, 2026
‘Doing the Little Things’ – Because we are part of something bigger

To celebrate St David’s Day, we’ve been thinking about the important saying connected to the day, ‘Do the Little Things’ and how small changes or interactions can lead to larger impact as we work towards a greener future.

The scale of the climate and biodiversity crisis and the systemic transformation needed to tackle it can often leave us feeling daunted or powerless, and this is by no means unusual. But as CAT guest speaker Jean Boulton champions, ’thinking big but acting small’ can be a way to mobilise change despite feeling overwhelmed. Oftentimes, ‘the little things’ are not all that little either, and these action lead to more action!

Over the past few months, we have been lucky to receive a number of CAT stories from our wonderful supporters who have been inspired to make changes in their own lives and take action in their communities. Among these heartwarming tales, many submissions spoke of how small interactions with CAT have led to lifetime changes…here are three of them.

Small Steps for Environmental Change – Jonathan Voles

CAT member Jonathan Vowles came to CAT as a schoolboy in the 1970’s and he has been a dedicated advocate for the small steps we can all take to make our day-to-day life more sustainable ever since!

“CAT changed my life when I came to visit as part of a school group, so long ago now that I’ve forgotten exactly when! What I haven’t forgotten is the way that CAT captured my imagination and inspired me. The site itself and the environmental factors, the exhibits, the future thinking – and remember back then environmental issues, building techniques, wind power and solar power were way out of most people’s comfort zone, whereas now they are mainstream!

Over the years I’ve been a regular visitor and have been a member and supporter of CAT whenever funds have permitted. I’ve dragged my wife and kids to CAT and tried to inspire them the way I was inspired and although I’m no longer that passionate schoolboy, I have continued to speak to people about CAT and the small steps we can take to make environmental change a reality in our lives.” 

The passion with which Jonathan writes about his visit and its impact is infectious and to know that he is sharing that inspiration to this day is a heartwarming read for all of us at CAT.

Ripples of Change: Switches to Home Energy – Bridget Walton

Bridget Walton’s story is a wonderful example of how the changes she has made in her own life after a chance visit to CAT have rippled out, as knowledge shared became knowledge squared!

“In the 1970’s we would holiday in Wales and would pass by the Centre and wonder what it was. We later visited and were amazed at the possibilities.

In 1981 we had a solar panel fitted to our roof to generate our own electricity and about 8 years ago we had 5 solar panels fitted to our roof to generate our own electricity. I passed my knowledge on to a friend who had 15 panels fitted to her house roof.

One visit long ago made a big impact. How buildings could be designed to be warmer and more sustainable, how paper waste could go into compost to rejuvenate soil, use of water to power the funicular railway opened up my mind to new possibilities. I have continued my journey in greener living and added PV, solar hot water, ASHP, etc to my home.”

Driving Community Change – Alison Shaw

Alison Shaw is one of our fantastic CAT members who is acting locally with the whole in mind. The projects she is working on are a heartening reminder of how important it is to act with care for each other and our planet within our community and beyond.

“Now I am retired, I spend my time gardening for wildlife (including humans!) inspired by CAT’s gardens.

I run a repair cafe, with plenty of opportunities for climate conversations with members of the public and I have been inspired to spend time climate campaigning. This includes a 5 year quest (so far) to persuade the local authorities to divest its pension scheme from fossil fuels. We are hoping that a motion to the council will be proposed in a couple of months. Progress is very slow, but we are not giving up!”

Alison was inspired to join after reading CAT’s Clean Slate magazine, feeling that it spoke to her about important environmental issues, but on a human level, with plenty of information of how to take practical steps. She is also a regular attendee of the annual CAT Conference, a place where she feels she is amongst friends who share her concerns by are also hopeful in taking action to implement change.

Alison also recently wrote a beautiful piece inspired by visits to CAT titled, Arrival.

Arrival

We walk away from the road, grateful to be leaving the traffic behind. A long bus journey delivers us breathing deeply and stretching.

Narrow lanes lead us across the river, past the sleeping cliff railway and steeply up through the woodland. The way is enclosed by trees and lush undergrowth, allowing scant glimpses beyond. The incline levels out and we see a building.

Unexpected, yet at one with the surroundings. Natural materials and enclosing branches make us feel cocooned and safe. The scene opens out like a clearing.

– Extract from Arrival, by CAT Member, Alison Shaw

‘Do the little things’

As these stories remind us, we do the little things precisely because we are part of something bigger, and our interactions, experiences and actions no matter at what scale, are worth doing.

Looking to take the first step towards making a change of your own but not sure where to start? This St David’s Day, why not take the first step and check out our free information page, book a short course, explore a CAT postgraduate course or reserve a place at the CAT conference today.

CAT Stories

It is your stories that make up the chapters of CAT’s past present and future. Your actions, large or small, contribute to our wider story and impact.

If you have a story to share about how CAT has had an impact on your life, work or experiences, we’d love to hear them.

Share your CAT story

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February 27, 2026
Built Environment Professionals Gather at CAT

Built environment and construction professionals visited the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) on Wednesday 11 February 2026 for a special cross-sector site event bringing together members of the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB), the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW), the Passivhaus Trust, and Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).

Hosted at CAT’s unique Llwyngwern Quarry site, the afternoon offered attendees the opportunity to explore the centre’s pioneering low-carbon buildings, delve into its rich landscape heritage, and learn about CAT’s exciting Cynefin redevelopment project, a major programme shaping the future of sustainability education and innovation at the centre.

Interactive Tours and Knowledge Sharing

The visit began with guided tours led by CAT experts, offering insight into the site’s living archive of innovative low-carbon construction and decades of environmental experimentation.

Attendees then gathered in the WISE Building for refreshments and networking, where architects, conservation practitioners, Passivhaus specialists, and sustainable building professionals shared experiences and perspectives from across the sector with each other and with CAT postgraduate students studying MSc Green Building and our Part 2 MArch Sustainable Architecture programme.

Talks on CAT’s Future

A highlight of the event was a talk by the redevelopment Project Director John Challen, who presented updates on the Cynefin project, an initiative set to expand CAT’s facilities and strengthen its role in training the next generation of environmental leaders.

“It’s inspiring to welcome so many passionate practitioners from the built environment sector to CAT and to share the vision behind our Cynefin redevelopment project. Collaboration across architecture, conservation, low-energy design and sustainable construction is essential if we’re to meet the climate challenges ahead, and events like today’s deepen the connections and shared learning that drive progress.” said John Challen Project Director for Cynefin, CAT’s redevelopment plans.

For those wishing to extend their day, an optional evening meal brought visitors together with students from CAT’s Graduate School of the Environment ahead of the guest lecture from Kate Davies on the experimental timber structures at Hooke Park, which concluded the event with forward looking discussion on advanced sustainable construction.

Strengthening Networks

Tabitha Binding, from Passivhaus Trust, who attended the event said “It was a real pleasure to attend today’s event, set against the rich historical setting of CAT’s sustainable buildings and quarry site. I loved the chance to network with so many professionals from the built environment sector in Mid Wales and it was inspiring to meet and talk with other attendees alongside the energetic, curious and enthusiastic CAT students.”

The event successfully fostered collaboration between organisations, driving low-energy design, conservation, and sustainable architecture across Wales. With more than 20 attendees participating, the visit showcased the continued appetite for shared learning and cross-disciplinary engagement in shaping a low-carbon built environment.

February 12, 2026
CAT Stories: Raddon Stephenson

We’re proud to share the inspiring stories of members of the CAT community putting sustainability into action. Here’s how CAT graduate, Raddon Stephenson is making a difference.

Raddon works in urban horticulture at the Caritas Lalley Centre Community Allotment and Food Pantry in Manchester, which is deeply rooted in tackling social and environmental issues. In his role as Allotment and Food Provision Manager, Raddon focuses on closing the food waste loop, helping people grow their own produce in the city, and recognising the interconnection between social wellbeing, our food systems and the natural environment.

Raddon says, “It’s really fulfilling to have a job that enables me to do practical food growing, improve people’s mental health through wellbeing gardening sessions, and tackle food waste in a tangible way. I’m always learning how to be a better grower and how to most effectively encourage community participation in their local greenspace by observing what we grow and how people respond to the site. It’s also great to learn from people who’ve moved to the UK from elsewhere who have varied growing knowledge and skills to share too.”

Through this work, Raddon is using what he learned from his Master’s in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources at CAT. While studying at CAT, he was inspired not only by the practical learning, like identifying plants, but by the conceptual skills he gained, such as systems thinking approaches.

In 2022 he set up a composting project with a local primary school. Having recognised that the school wasn’t separating food waste, that children weren’t using their allotment, and that the 1,400m2 plot was in constant need of compost, Raddon set out to tackle the disconnect between the three issues. He got pupils involved in composting their own canteen scraps to then grow food to provide for the community through the pantry, closing the food waste gap. The project received funding for a Ridan composting system. It now makes around 9.5 tonnes of peat-free compost for the allotment each year!

Before coming to CAT, Raddon was pursuing a career as a musician but just as he was starting out the pandemic hit, cancelling any work at that time. However, lockdown brought time and space for reflection. After experiencing organic farm work, Raddon decided to pursue his passion for nature academically at CAT. He recognised that what we grow and how we grow it has a vast impact on our ecosystems and that the universal need to eat can directly connect people with environmental solutions.

Studying at CAT also gave Raddon the opportunity to continue creating and sharing his music, including The Compost Song written during his dissertation, which he now brings into community gardening work to engage children in reducing and composting food waste.

“Studying at CAT has allowed me to focus my energy into a field of work which is genuinely beneficial for the social and ecological wellbeing of the community, and which I find really fulfilling. The postgraduate course, the student community and the CAT site itself have been inspirational, leading me to a job where I can put my knowledge and skills in food growing and community engagement into practice on a daily basis.”

Has CAT inspired your sustainability journey?

We’d love to hear how you’re making change happen. Share your story at cat.org.uk/cat-stories for a chance to be featured in a future edition of Clean Slate, on the CAT website or on social media.

February 11, 2026
Empowering the next generation

Amanda Smith, Head of Learning and Education, explores some of the challenges young people face today and how CAT is taking action.

In Wales, we’re lucky to have a national commitment to longterm thinking. The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act puts the needs of tomorrow at the heart of decisions made today. It’s a powerful reminder that the world we’re shaping now, environmentally, culturally and politically, is the one young people will inherit.

At CAT, we believe the next generation deserves more than a seat at the table. They deserve to be heard, supported and given the tools to help shape the future themselves.

Reality for young people today

Today’s young people are growing up in a time of rapid change and uncertainty. The effects of climate breakdown are being felt around the globe, and things are projected to get much worse.

Climate anxiety is now widely recognised as a serious issue. A growing number of children and teenagers report feeling overwhelmed by the scale of environmental problems and powerless to make a difference. This emotional burden can affect their mental health, education and even career choices.

But alongside the worry and distraction, there’s also energy, passion and a strong desire to make a difference. More than ever, young people are deeply engaged. They’re asking questions, demanding action, and imagining new ways of living. From school climate strikes to community projects, they’re showing they care and are ready to lead the conversation.

But young people can’t do it alone. They need support to make their voices heard and prepare for their future careers and lives.

Supporting young people at CAT

CAT has always been about practical solutions and positive change. Our work with young people builds on that foundation, helping them explore ideas, develop skills and find hope in action.

Every year, CAT welcomes school and university students to our Visitor Centre in Mid Wales. These visits are immersive learning experiences that show practical solutions in real life. Students explore renewable energy systems, green buildings, organic gardens and sustainably managed woodland. They learn about climate science, low-carbon technologies and ecologically conscious design. All this learning happens within a living, breathing ecosystem where they are surrounded by nature, practical examples of sustainable solutions, and the evidence of 50 years of environmental innovation.

For many, it’s a transformative experience. They leave with new knowledge, fresh ideas and a renewed sense of hope. They see that solutions exist and that they can be part of making them happen.

A visiting teacher from Solefield School in Kent described how, “One student came back to me years after this trip to say it had inspired him to pursue sustainable engineering.” He’s since gone on to study Sustainable Engineering at university and is now fully qualified and doing well in the field.

Bold Futures: Imagining what’s possible

One of CAT’s most impactful programmes for young people is Bold Futures, a workshop designed to help participants imagine a sustainable future and understand the role they can play in bringing it about.

The workshop takes young people through a creative and reflective process. They explore what a zero-carbon world might look like, consider the changes needed to get there, and identify the skills and actions that could help make it a reality.

It’s wonderful to see how full of hope children are about the future of their homes, schools and communities. They imagine green spaces, full of play and thriving with nature.

The Bold Futures programme is not about telling young people what to think, it’s about giving them space to think for themselves. The emphasis is on agency, imagination and possibility. Participants often leave feeling more empowered, more connected, and more motivated to take action in their own lives and communities.

POP25: Reaching a wider audience

In November, CAT hosted POP25 (Protecting Our Planet Day), a major partnership event with STEM Learning, the UK and European space agencies and other organisations. Broadcast live from CAT to over 200,000 school-aged students and teachers across the UK, the event showcased practical solutions to climate change and celebrated the role of young people in building a better future.

POP25 brought together educators, scientists, activists and students to share ideas, spark conversations and inspire action. Alongside a live broadcast from CAT, the event also went live to an environmental research vessel in the Arctic and other incredible areas of cutting-edge research. It was a wonderful example of what can happen when organisations work together to support climate education and youth engagement.

Hosting POP25 was a chance to amplify CAT’s message and reach a wider audience while being part of something truly inspirational for young people.

Skills for the future

As the world moves towards a zero carbon future, the demand for green skills is growing. Young people will need to be equipped not just with knowledge, but with practical abilities, from sustainable construction and renewable energy to ecological design and systems thinking.

CAT is playing an important role in this transition. Through our postgraduate programmes, short courses, residential volunteering programmes and partnerships with schools and colleges, we are helping young people develop the skills they’ll need to thrive in a changing world.

This isn’t just about jobs, it’s about purpose. Many young people want to work in ways that align with their values and contribute to positive change. CAT’s education programmes help them do just that.

CAT’s unique blend of teaching and physical examples of solutions in action provides an inspirational learning experience. Dr Dai Morgan brings his students from the University of Cambridge to CAT every year to become inspired describes that “CAT offers something unique. It’s immersive and integrative-a real example of sustainability being worked out in real time. Being in that environment, around people who are doing things differently and showing what’s possible, creates space to reflect and reconnect with what really matters.”

Listening and learning together

We believe young people’s voices matter. We’re not just here to teach but to listen, learn and be inspired by the young people we welcome to CAT.

Whether it’s through workshops, site visits, youth panels or national events, we’re committed to creating spaces where young people can explore, connect and grow. We know a better future is possible. And we know young people are key to making it happen.

How you can help

The climate crisis is a generational issue that affects us all. By supporting CAT, you’re helping to give young people hope, connection and direction, so they can make change happen today and tomorrow. You’re investing in education, empowerment and a better future for everyone.

If you are part of a school or youth group, could you bring them to CAT for an immersive and impactful experience? Learn more about group visits to CAT at cat.org.uk/groupslearning.

About the author

Amanda Smith – Head of Learning and Education is passionate about the power of education to change lives and outcomes for both children and adults, encouraging them to understand that the choices they make in their everyday lives, as individuals, policymakers or businesspeople.

Amanda has over 20 years’ experience in teaching, school leadership, adult training and organisational improvement. She is a highly qualified and experienced educator, with Qualified Teacher status and the National Professional Qualification for Head Teachers and is a Specialist Leader of Education. Her expertise includes the design and development of high-quality education materials, assessment of impact on learners, and provision of an environment to support learning and retention of key skills, as well as monitoring and quality assurance of programmes.

February 10, 2026
A veterinary response to a pollution crisis
There is growing evidence of environmental harm caused by veterinary medicines used to treat fleas and ticks. CAT graduate, Dr Julie Cayzer, a vet and zoologist, used her dissertation to design a workplace learning programme for vets to promote responsible use of these treatments.

The UK is facing a biodiversity crisis, with the latest State of Nature report describing us as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. A chance moment, hearing a lunchtime news article on the widespread damage to aqueous ecosystems caused by pet flea and tick products, decided my dissertation’s focus. I had been aware of the environmental harm caused by chemicals used to treat pets’ external parasites (fleas and ticks) and internal parasites (worms) for several years. The discussion on the radio focused on new evidence relating to two in particular – fipronil and imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid).

Balancing the health of animals, people and the environment

As a vet myself, I knew the statutory guidance given by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and advice by leading national veterinary organisations was to avoid a blanket year-round approach to prescribing parasite treatments, and instead to tailor them for each pet and their human family. Something was preventing vets from responding to this new evidence of harm. Every vet values the natural world and wishes to protect it, yet we appeared to be unable to act on something so simple – to stop using the most harmful products and limit use of alternatives to a level that is deemed responsible.

Due to my background in veterinary education following years in clinical practice, I decided to co-create a training programme for UK vets on pet parasite treatments to promote their responsible use, drawing on the expertise and experiences of a wide range of veterinary experts and practitioners.

One Health – balancing animal, human and environmental health (British Veterinary Association, 2019) Dr Julie Cayzer

Crucially, the training would follow WHO’s One Health approach, aiming to sustainably balance and enhance the health of animals, people and the environment. This would allow greater flexibility to tailor prescribing behaviours to each individual context, thereby reducing the overall use of these drugs, and improving the outcomes for the environment without compromising public or animal health.

Influencing behaviour to achieve change

For my dissertation, I gathered expert insights from academic and practising veterinary professionals through interviews and focus groups. The codesign process involved four stages following the Design Council’s scheme to Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver the training programme. Throughout, I explored different components of behaviour that influence vets’ prescribing habits, following Susan Michie’s COM-B model. This model, which I had studied during the taught modules of my MSc at CAT, proposes that behaviour (B) is directed by the combined influences of capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M). Twenty practising vets participated in the training prototypes, and our discussions revealed that motivation was key, with vets’ prescribing behaviour affected by social opportunity (practice team engagement) and time (to discuss treatment changes with owners).

It has been heartening to see a rapid response to the training programme by the vets involved in this research. Some have reported team discussions about moving away from spot-on treatments to potentially more environmentally friendly ones, for example, injectable products, so that less contaminated pet fur is shed. They have increased owner awareness regarding appropriate disposal (unwashed product packaging to landfill) and created tailored parasite treatments through lifestyle risk assessments. Empowered vets have begun to challenge systemic barriers such as automatic sign-ups to pet healthcare plans using year-round treatments where this was unnecessary following the pet’s risk assessment. Additionally, vets have reported engaging with further learning opportunities to find out more about the topic and to share this information with their practice teams.

Jeff Waage with one of the information boards on the Heath.

The impact of learning at CAT

My dissertation at CAT gave me the opportunity to make a real difference; since submitting, I have continued to develop resources to enable the behaviour changes needed around responsible prescribing of these treatments by vets.

I volunteer with the Greener Veterinary Practice working group of Vet Sustain, a charitable organisation supporting veterinary sustainable actions across the profession. With them, I co-authored a peer-reviewed resource pack which included evidence-based medicine to support clinical decisions and lifestyle risk checkers to enable tailored parasite control regimes. The packs were released in September 2025 for vets and their teams to enable their responsible use of these treatments. Later that month, I presented my dissertation’s findings to the Vet Sustain curriculum team to explore their use by vet schools and the wider veterinary profession due to the current strategic importance of prevention of this pollution.

My training programme has also been piloted with local vets in the Hampstead Heath area. Joe Downie, a CAT classmate whose dissertation investigated pollution with these pesticides in the Heath’s ponds caused by swimming dogs, introduced me to an environmental researcher from the Heath and Hampstead Society, Jeff Waage (London Tropical School of Medicine). A new campaign by the Society to raise dog owners’ awareness of the pollution problem needed local vets’ support, so a joint event was held at Keats House on the Heath in October 2025 with two veterinary academic researchers (Rose Perkins, University of Sussex, and Andrew Prentis, Imperial College London) who raised the initial concerns about these pollutants. This event explored the behaviour changes by owners needed to protect local ecosystems and the role of advice from their vets. Follow-up online meetings with local vets to plan their support for the new campaign are ongoing.

As a vet, I fully understand the benefits to health and wellbeing from pet ownership. I have an elderly cat called Izzy – my life is enriched daily by her antics! Owners can make a significant difference in their environmental impact through everything from the choice of pet to care for, the food and kit that they buy, to the preventative measures that will keep them healthy. For advice on environmentally friendly choices, visit https://www.bva.co.uk/pet-owners-and-breeders/advice-for-pet-owners/how-can-i-reduce-my-pet-s-environmental-impact/.
Advice for pet owners

Please speak to your vet about a lifestyle risk assessment for your pet(s), as well as pet diseases caused by parasites. There are some that cause human disease, called zoonoses, that can be serious.

Follow their instructions on how and when to use the treatment and dispose of its packaging.

And:

Bag and dispose of faeces in landfill.

Do not allow your dogs to swim, be groomed or shampooed until at least one month after use of spot-on flea and tick treatments.

Always read the product packaging to check what your pet parasite treatments contain. These two pesticides are commonly used in treatments sold outside of vet practices.

More information at bva.co.uk/petowners- and-breeders/advice-for-petowners/ parasite-treatments →
About the author

Julie completed her MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change at CAT in June 2025. Following a design route through her dissertation enabled her to collaborate with a wide range of experts in veterinary parasitology, as well as practising vets, to co-design a viable and relevant training programme. In her new role in the Royal College Veterinary Surgeons’ Knowledge team and at the University of Nottingham, Julie will continue to put the skills she gained at CAT into practice as she helps to shape the future of sustainable veterinary care.

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January 23, 2026
Healthy seas for future generations

The sea is vitally important to our health and wellbeing, yet human activities beneath the waves wreak appalling damage, each day, across the globe. As we enter the second half of the United Nations Ocean Decade, an international effort to restore humanity’s relationship with the sea, Dr Cathy Cole reflects on the value of our ocean and the challenge of engaging with a world that is hidden from view.

It pulls me, madly, with its salt scent, the rush and scrape of shingle, the teasing winds that whip my hair, and the shocking assault of cold against my skin. Swallowed whole and tossed like a toy boat, I feel its power, its will, and in the first seconds that take my breath away, I am infinitely small, refreshingly insignificant. The charge of daily life ebbs instantly into the muted rhythm of the swell and I am held. Carried with the incoming tide, we pass Castle Point and swim with determined strokes towards the northern headland, glinting rose-gold with the first morning light. Below the froth that separates air from water, I can’t see more than half a metre, and the sun’s weak rays vanish quickly into ink.

After the swim, as I drip onto the rounded stones, my imagination fires with the hidden worlds playing out beneath the slick surface. In the shallows, when the water is clear, I’ve seen spider crabs lunging over barnaclecrusted rocks, shoals of fleeting silver darts as bream twist through sugar kelp and bladder wrack, cushion stars and crimson beadlet anemones, all awaiting the turning tide. In deeper waters, barrel jellyfish, pulsing ghostly white, sometimes as big as me, disappear as quickly as they emerge. We share the bay with bottlenose dolphins, year-round residents, but more easily seen in the summer when they roll and play in the surf. Just once, I shared a quiet moment of awe with a grey seal as we watched the full-moon set into the hazy dawn horizon.

Studying the state of our seas

I am deeply privileged to witness these glimpses into our marine world, and to have studied the seas throughout my career. As a Master’s student in Southampton, I feasted my senses on everything from the mathematics of the tides to the chemistry of ocean carbon to the secret records of summers at sea etched into salmon scales. Staying for a PhD, and with a strengthening stomach for high latitude seas, I was invited to join a research expedition in the Arctic Ocean to map and measure the bubbles of methane gas venting from sediments offshore Svalbard. This was a stark awakening to the potentially catastrophic nature of our changing climate, as warming temperatures on the sea floor threatened to destabilise reservoirs of methane hydrates and trigger “runaway” climate change. I started to tune in deeply to the changes underway in the seas, as they sequestered enormous quantities of heat and carbon.

A little more than a decade on, and my two-year old daughter has taken to yelling “I love you seeeea” daily as we fly towards it, perched on my bike down Penglais Hill in Aberystwyth. It stretches away from us, a tantalising canvas of greys and blues, depending on the weather. My son, who is five, tells me excitedly that he can’t wait to see tropical coral reefs and snorkel with turtles when he’s older. My stomach lurches, sick with grief. He does not know that, all around the world, marine heatwaves are relentlessly expelling the symbiotic algae that reefs rely on for healthy growth, exposing the vulnerable skeleton. For the first time, we have breached a climate tipping point, and we are seeing this catastrophic loss before our eyes. I don’t think he will ever see a coral reef.

The ocean’s vital role

Nearly three quarters of our planet is covered by sea. Always moving, it is vital to our climate system, driving a global conveyer belt of currents that carry oxygen, nutrients, carbon and heat. This constant churning supports all life on Earth and allows extraordinary diversity to thrive and flourish here. Where ocean currents bring nutrients to the surface, the startling blaze of phytoplankton that erupts can be seen from space. This is the base of the food chain, the source of half the oxygen we breathe, and as this organic frenzy dies off and sinks to the seabed it takes with it carbon that can be locked away in sediments. This natural process of ocean carbon removal – both biological and physical – keeps our world in balance, and has also allowed the sea to absorb more than a third of humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Just as the ocean locks away carbon, it also locks away heat; the ocean has absorbed a staggering 93% of all the excess heat that has been trapped by greenhouse gases emitted as a result of human activities (like burning fossil fuels and deforesting our land). The ocean is a vital ally in our fight against climate change – but this does not come without a price. Warmer water fuels rising sea levels, intensified storms and strengthened marine heatwaves, all with serious consequences for human safety. At the same time, last year’s astonishing documentary Ocean by Sir David Attenborough starkly demonstrated the extent of other human pressures at sea, with factory fishing vessels, bottom trawlers and dredgers desecrating the seabed with incredulous extent across the entire globe, including almost all the world’s marine protected areas.

Restoring our deep relationship

The ferocity of global outrage is tragically tempered by the fact that all this is happening beyond our view. If we could see this industrial-scale destruction, we would not tolerate it. Recognising this, one of the 10 challenges underway within the current United Nations Ocean Decade is to ‘restore humanity’s relationship with the ocean’. An immense international effort is underway to do exactly this, and in the five years since it began there have been some very welcome changes. One of these is the ratification of the High Seas Treaty in 2025, the first ever international, legally-binding treaty to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This is critical in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030.

In Wales, we are excited by the launch of a major ocean literacy project, Y Môr a Ni (The Sea and Us), which is bringing communities, organisations and government partners together to nurture a deeper connection with our seas, to improve access to the coast and enhance public and political investment in a healthy marine environment. This is part of our teaching at CAT too. Our MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change empowers students with the skills to make tangible change in their lives beyond their studies – in their communities and workplaces – to inspire living as ecological citizens, respecting the natural world around us. Students develop expertise in strategic environmental communication, with the opportunity to pursue research into ocean literacy and engagement through their dissertation.

This is a call to us all to be proud “Ocean Citizens”, understanding our connection to the ocean and taking responsibility for healthy seas and coasts, both through our personal daily actions and through our participation in democratic society. We need to mobilise communities with knowledge and with a deep emotional connection to collectively ensure we are active witnesses to the environmental damage inflicted at sea, and to push for meaningful and urgent protection. We invite you to join this global community of passionate ocean advocates, offering wider reach and new powerful narratives to ensure a healthy future for our seas.

About the author

Cathy is a visiting lecturer at CAT’s Graduate School of the Environment, teaching ocean science, communication, and public and policy engagement across several modules. She has recently taken up a new role at Natural Resources Wales as a Specialist Advisor on Marine Water Quality and will be giving a public lecture at CAT on 9 March as part of the Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services module. You can sign up to attend at cat.org.uk/event/public-lecture/

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January 19, 2026
Montgomeryshire MP Champions CAT in Westminster Debate

Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr MP Steve Witherden has placed CAT firmly in the national spotlight during a Westminster Hall debate focused on the role of Science and Discovery Centres for the UK’s science and technology priorities.

The debate formed part of the Science Centres For Our Future campaign spearheaded by the Association for Science and Discovery Centres, which calls on Government to provide £19.5 million of match-funded investment to address urgent infrastructure risks and secure the future of these centres. Currently, Science and Discovery Centres (SDCs) are excluded from infrastructure funding available to museums and libraries – a gap that threatens their ability to continue inspiring and educating future generations.

Why Science and Discovery Centres matter

Across the UK, Science and Discovery Centres play a unique and irreplaceable role. They spark curiosity and inspire millions of visitors each year, including thousands of schoolchildren, helping to build public trust in new technologies and create pathways into science careers. These centres are also critical in tackling the UK’s STEM skills shortage – a challenge that costs the economy an estimated £1.5 billion annually.

Steve Witherden MP highlighted this during the debate, saying:

“SDCs are powerful but undervalued. They are beacons of sustainability,
education and innovation. With recognition and investment, they can
flourish – supporting national climate goals, inspiring future scientists and
engineers, and ensuring that science remains accessible to all.”

CAT’s role in a sustainable future

For over 50 years, CAT has been pioneering sustainability – combining cutting-edge research with world-class education to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon future. Our postgraduate degrees and professional training equip individuals with expertise in renewable energy, sustainable building, and environmental science – skills that are essential to achieving the UK’s net-zero targets and industrial strategy goals.

Steve Witherden MP spoke passionately about CAT’s unique contribution:

“CAT is truly the jewel in the crown of Montgomeryshire – a centre that has always been ahead of its time in pioneering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world.

CAT’s impact reaches far beyond Mid Wales. Each year, we train hundreds of postgraduate students, deliver carbon literacy programmes to councils across the UK, and inspire thousands of schoolchildren through workshops and STEM engagement initiatives such as Bold Futures, which empowers young people to imagine and create positive visions for a sustainable future.

Later in his speech, Steve Witherden MP went on to explain that:

“For over half a century, the CAT has combined cutting-edge research with world-class education to accelerate the transition to a zero -carbon future.

It is not just a centre; it is a catalyst for change – locally, nationally and globally.“

A personal connection

Steve Witherden MP also shared his own deep connection to CAT:

“My connection with science centres – and in particular, Montgomeryshire
and Glyndŵr’s own Centre for Alternative Technology, commonly known
as the CAT – is deeply personal. It is, in fact, the reason I am here today
representing my constituency.

My father was the first in his family to go to university, where he studied Agricultural Economics. After graduating, my parents moved to Montgomeryshire in the 1970s and settled in Machynlleth. They were among the founding members of the CAT, one of the oldest science centres in the UK.”

He concluded with a powerful message:

“With proper recognition, urgent investment in infrastructure, and a long –
term capital renewal fund, the CAT and the other outstanding centres
across the UK can continue to ignite curiosity, expand green skills, and
unlock the full potential of UK science and technology for a healthy,
secure, and sustainable future.”

Looking ahead

The debate demonstrated strong cross-party and cross-nation support for Science and Discovery Centres. MPs from across the political spectrum speaking passionately about the importance of Science and Discovery Centres along and their own personal connections, and urged Kaniska Narayan, the Minister responding on behalf of the government, to work with the sector to ensure so they can continue inspiring future generations and supporting national priorities in science, technology, and sustainability.

Minister Narayan didn’t commit to any particular source of funding, but responded acknowledging the important role Science and Discover Centres play and that he had “heard loud and clear the concerns expressed about the funding resilience of science and discovery centres.”

You can watch the full debate here.

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January 14, 2026