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.