CAT is an education and visitor centre demonstrating practical solutions for sustainability. They cover all aspects of green living: environmental building, eco-sanitation, woodland management, renewable energy, energy efficiency and organic growing.

Their facilities

 

Their site is a unique and valuable practical demonstration centre, a living laboratory with an enormous range of live examples of sustainable solutions.

CAT has the largest range of installed renewable systems anywhere. These include:

Photovoltaics

Solar thermal

A micro-grid

Off-grid and grid-connected systems

Biomass combined heat and power (CHP)

Hydro

Air source heat pumps

A community heat main

A range of small to medium wind turbines

They also have two reed bed systems, their own off-mains water supply, and extensive organic gardens.

 

In their day-to-day activities they:

Run a visitor centre which is open 7 days a week, with 7 acres of interactive displays.

Offer a free information service answering enquiries on all aspects of sustainable living.

Run a graduate school with a range of postgraduate degrees in environmental architecture and renewable energy.

Run residential and one-day courses for the general public, as well as more specialised courses for builders, engineers, electricians and plumbers.

Provide curriculum-based education to visiting schools, colleges and universities.

Host residential education trips for schools and colleges in their unique eco-cabins.

Carry out educational outreach work, including teacher training and school visits.

Publish books on key environmental issues – and their solutions.

Run a successful volunteer programmes for those that want to gain hands-on experience.

Have a growing network of supporter members who receive their quarterly magazine and an invite to their annual conference.

Provide an eco-shop and vegetarian restaurant on site. For those further afield, they also have a mail order service.