Devon Carpet Moth

Four UV lamps traps were spread over the site, a  few butterflies nets in hands of skilled haunters of different ages meant we were able to collect more than 30 different species of moth, including the huge and very colourful Elephant Hawk Moth and a rare(ish) Devon Carpet. Other notable catches were the Satin Lutestring and the Lobster Moth (so called because in larval form it looks like a lobster!), as a moth it is large and very fluffy.

These records will be sent into the national record centre to be collated with other national moth sightings to develop different research and conservation policies.

On the bat front, Phil Ward counted 153 Pipistrelles in the roost above CAT’s Shop and we found two Daubenton’s bats flying over the lake. With the brown long eared and the lesser horseshoe that are living down the shop, we probably have about five (possibly six) different species of bat living at CAT.

Lobster Moth Larvae

If you would like more  information about moths:

http://montgomeryshiremoths.blogspot.co.uk/

http://butterfly-conservation.org/

In theory, tidal energy offers huge potential for the UK’s power mix. Tides are incredibly predictable, more so than wind energy and solar power. But the sheer power contained in Britain’s seas come at a cost. The damage that seawater causes to materials and machinery makes maintenance an issue.

Tidal projects have always been difficult to fund, despite the fact that the UK has great locations for wave and tidal energy projects. The upfront cost of constructing these renewable energy projects has put many off. The other major downside to tidal barrages is the somewhat unpredictable ecological impact.

Peter Hain, former Welsh Secretary of State, has been a strong advocate of the Severn Barrage. Hain’s website states: ‘The barrage makes sense environmentally’. But is this really the case?

The current proposal is a 18km fixed tidal barrage across the Severn estuary. MPs on the energy and climate change parliamentary select committee have been examining the proposal. The report said that while a barrage might help tackle climate change, the environmental and economic case is not strong enough. The committee did however urge the Government to consider developing smaller tidal facilities.

Hafren Power responded to the report by saying ‘We believe the environmental and economic issues can be solved with everyone working together’. They claim that the Severn Barrage will protect against storm surges and save the UK billions in flooding costs. Critics, such as RSPB and WWF, fear that it will endanger the ecosystem, particularly birds and fish.

Peter Hain claims ‘the Rance Barrage in France suggests that there would be a significant increase in faunal abundance and biodiversity. The barrage would slow down the fearsome Severn tide, introducing more light and oxygen and therefore improving the water quality, attracting more fish which will support greater and more diverse birdlife.’

The Rance Barrage is one of the biggest tidal power stations in the world. Development costs were extremely high but these have now been recovered and it produces around 600 GWh a year.

Research shows that the dam has clearly modified the currents of the estuary and caused progressive silting. Sand-eels and plaice have all but disappeared, though sea bass and cuttlefish have returned. There have been large changes to the aquatic ecosystem of the Rance estuary but it continues to be varied.

So what about alternative schemes in the UK?

The Swansea Bay tidal lagoon is one such project. An ambitious tidal power station, it is seeking £10m of funding from the public. The scheme claims it could power 107,000 homes and generate 250MW of renewable energy. Small-scale investors have being offered a 55% stake in the company.

Traditional barrage designs consist of two different types. Ebb generation allows water to fill an enclosed area until full tide. Once the sea level has fallen enough, to create sufficient head, turbines generate power from the water leaving the enclosed area. Two-way generation allows water to flow through the turbines as the tide goes in and out. This energy produced is usually less than ebb generation but electricity is produced over a longer period.

The Zero Carbon Britain report recommends that tidal and hydro should supply 4% of the UK’s energy.

Tidal energy is still in its infancy compared with wind and solar, which have a proven track record. But with the crown estate investing £20m in the UK’s wave and tidal energy, this industry could soon begin to contribute. Ongoing advances in designs like SeaGen and VIVACE mean that the UK could be on the crest of a new wave of possibilities.

Biomass is energy created from the burning of biological materials such as plants and non-living things such as biodegradable waste. Anything that is alive or was alive a short time ago can be categorised under biomass, therefore trees, crops, animal and plant waste are all included.

The attraction of biomass in the fight against climate change is that it is carbon neutral. Unlike the fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal, which when burnt add to the net amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the CO2 that biomass produces when ignited is absorbed from the atmosphere by the crops used to make it, and so the net atmospheric amount is not increased.

“It is clear that for biomass to be part of a zero-carbon energy future, strict safeguards need to be in place to ensure that only sustainable sourcing occurs. “

Currently in the UK there are 20 dedicated biomass power plants that are producing a total of 1,092MW from a variety of sources including poultry waste and woody biomass. There are around another 30 at planning stage with a combined capacity of 5,000MW.

Given that 1MW can sustain 1,000 homes for an hour, that is a significant contribution to the UK energy mix. However like many energy sources, it is also controversial, as there are both advantages and disadvantages.

In recent years numerous organisations have issued warnings about the potential impacts of the mass production of biomass. UK-based organisation Biofuelwatch is currently protesting against plans by Drax power station in Yorkshire to convert half of their coal-fired power station to run on biomass. Whilst in practice this sounds like a green idea, “highly biodiverse forests in North America are already being clear cut to make wood pellets for UK power stations. This will only get worse as the industry expands.”
Biofuelwatch say that communities in South Africa are already losing access to land and water because biodiverse grasslands are being destroyed for monoculture tree plantations, some of which supply Drax.

Drax has the capability to produce 12.5 per cent of its output from renewable and sustainable biomass – the equivalent output of over 700 wind turbines. Drax says that ‘burning biomass at this level saves over two and a half million tonnes of CO2 each year.’

Wood has always served as a fuel source for fires and ovens, however technological advances mean that burning biomass can produce energy for everything from a power plant to an engine.

The advantages are that burning biomass is said to be carbon neutral, in that by growing and then burning it there is no creation of additional carbon monoxide. Biomass products are abundant and renewable; since they come from living sources and life is cyclical, these products potentially never run out, so long as there is something living on earth and someone is there to turn that living thing’s components and waste products into energy.

Another benefit of biomass is that we can use waste and thus reduce landfill to produce energy. However there are concerns that incinerating household waste depresses recycling and wastes resources, releases greenhouse gasses, and is often forced through against strong public opposition. Instead of promoting zero waste, incinerators rely on material for feedstock that should be recycled or composted. Incinerators create toxic emissions and hazardous ash, and therefore pose significant health risks.

It is clear that for biomass to be part of a zero-carbon energy future, strict safeguards need to be in place to ensure that only sustainable sourcing occurs. Otherwise, as the Centre for Alternative Technology’s Freya Stanley-Price points out: “We are getting rid of one environmental problem and replacing it with another.”

Friends of the Earth suggest a number of measures that include keeping the scale of biomass to the size of domestically available resources, using anaerobic digestion for the treatment of food and animal waste and focusing biomass use close to production.

In addition, there must be a joined-up, integrated approach to energy planning that considers the most efficient use of any energy generated and looks forward to managing energy demand.

“There are many things that have to be carefully considered and weighed when determining if biomass energy is a viable alternative energy source,” Stanley-Price says. “In a zero-carbon future we must make sustainable use of trees as fuel, and replant them as we harvest them – creating a continuous carbon cycle. Growing our own fuel also creates jobs and is ideal for strong, local economies.”

Read more: http://www.scienceomega.com/article/1099/burning-issues#ixzz2WBqMeRru

More information about the current volunteering vacancies can be found here. The deadline for applications is Sunday 16th June.

From left to right: Burhan, Roisin, Inigo, Rachel, Drew, Riccardo and Fabienne

Fabienne – Water and Natural Resources

I’m learning lots of things every single day about woodland management and biodiversity and about other people’s skills. It’s a once in a lifetime experience!

Burhan – Natural Building Materials

It’s a great working environment, I think I couldn’t find better and the people are very sociable.

Roisín- Water and Natural Resources

You meet people from lots of different places, different backgrounds, with different skill sets who come together to work on something jointly. Some of those people might have lots of experience and lots of skills and others might have none, but they come together to learn new things and all work towards the same common goal.

Iñigo- Water and Natural Resources

I like being involved in the woodland and working outside, being in contact with nature through the work that we are doing and trying to preserve biodiversity. I think it’s a great experience to have and to take some skills and to develop a different view of what you can do with them, and to improve sustainability and to be a change maker in some way.

Drew – Gardens

I love the fact that you can come here with very little knowledge of a certain type of work, gardening, for instance, and you get so much knowledge out of it fulfilment, and you feel like you can go on and do something else now, take it further. And it’s a really friendly atmosphere, full of a lot of very supportive people.

Rachel – Natural Building Materials

I’ve gained some really interesting knowledge of building physics and learnt quite a lot about climate change and architecture. I’ve been part of a really interesting community of volunteers who are all really lovely and who all bring something different.

Riccardo – Site Maintenance

There are all these interesting people who pop out of the woodwork and come to do courses. They’re always really keen to talk to you and to share their knowledge and that’s great.

Richard (not pictured) – Media and Marketing

I chose to volunteer at CAT so that I could learn new skills whilst promoting a cause I felt strongly about in a collaborative, holistic environment. It’s been an unforgettable experience that I will take it with me for the rest of my life!

Steve (not pictured) – Gardens

For me, it’s about learning relevant skills that are going to be useful in the future, It’s a nice place to work and everyone’s friendly.

Jony and Riccardo planting sedums

We chose to colonise the roof with sedums – hardy alpine succulents – that are also known as stonecrops due to their ability to adapt to extreme growing mediums. Up at CAT we have sedums growing naturally in the disused quarry on slate waste.

The plants chosen for the roof, however, came from the walls and roof of Jony’s – CAT’s Artist in Residence – house. They are, he explains, “a completely homegrown tray of sedum from mid-Wales […] We’re pit planting these in organic potting compost. The roof is like a scree slope of shale that’s falling down the mountain. The plants root themselves in this medium, and the slate also acts like a mulch to stop weeds growing. You need something completely inert that weeds won’t grow in.”

Over the next few years these small plants will slowly grow and spread across the roof until they cover it entirely.

One of the species of sedum being planted

A Green Roof (or Living Roof) is like a shallow box garden. The bottom and sides are lined with a waterproof covering, then with a special membrane with small pockets to collect water to allow for slower drainage. A growing medium (in this case slate chipping) is laid down and then the sedums are planted.

Green Roofs are an important example of the kind of technology that can help us adapt to climate change. They help reduce surface water flooding in cities by absorbing storm water quickly, but releasing it slowly. They also help reduce hotspots of overheating in cities, provide important habitats for biodiversity in urban areas and offer potential spaces to be used for growing food. In general, they don’t give much in the way of insulation, so a roof still needs to be properly insulated.

Although Green Roofs are not a modern invention, it is the recent advances in water-proofing technologies that have led to Green Roofs becoming more widely used in sustainable construction over the last decade.

Preparing a sedum for planting

As someone who works at CAT, my take on the evening was unsurprisingly a little different: the real shock of the programme was not the anti wind farm cheering or right wing loon James Delingpole! It was something a whole lot more sinister. Secretary of State for the Environment Owen Paterson was asked if he agreed with James Delingpole’s opinion that climate change was anti-scientific, ideological nonsense. His response might come as something of a surprise given this man’s role in the UK government. Apparently the climate and temperature have not changed in the last 17 years. Jaws dropped in disbelief, and Peter Hain managed to splutter a reply: “and this i s the minister for the environment.”

It was always going to be a lively programme: from the moment word got out that Any Questions was happening in Machynlleth both pro wind farm and anti wind farm groups started ringing up for tickets. The news that Owen Paterson was going to be on the panel excited everyone, and when James Delingpole was announced it seemed like a BBC set up. Bring two wind turbine hating public figures to Europe’s leading eco centre, pitch them against socialist, republican, Welsh nationalist Leanne Wood, and well, let’s see what happens.

Earlier on in the afternoon a small but vocal group of people dressed as badgers had started a demonstration in the car park. A brief blockade of ‘badger killing’ Owen Paterson’s car followed, but all in all it was a good-natured affair. Those ‘desperately earnest and well meaning’ volunteers, so well described by James Delingpole in his blog, did their jobs of showing people to their seats and generally being welcoming and polite.

As the evening began, the atmosphere was electric. Encouragement from BBC warm up man Peter Griffiths and then Jonathan Dimbleby for audience participation was perhaps not necessary, given how the evening unfolded. The audience were opinionated, lively and more than willing to respond to answers from Leanne Wood, Peter Hain, Owen Paterson and James Delingpole.

There were a lot of interesting moments, much cheering, some booing. It was a pleasure to host the event at the Centre for Alternative Technology, not that we imagine that BBC Any Questions will be coming back in the next 40 years!

But those few words, buried amongst the cheering, booing and angry badger man’s outburst, stand out in my mind as the most disturbing revelation by BBC Any Questions on Friday night. Cabinet Minister for the Environment – not Welfare, Education or Defence – clearly stated “The real question is: is climate change influenced by man made climate change? The climate, the temperature has not changed in the last 17 years.”

Unbelievably, the UK has a Secretary of State for the Environment who believes that climate change is not happening; you couldn’t make this stuff up. It‘s absurd that as the level of carbon emissions in the atmosphere reaches 400ppm, as people around the world struggle in the face of adverse climatic conditions, as India bakes and Central Europe floods, as think tanks and NGOs advise that climate change will cause food shortages, political instability and rising sea levels, the Secretary of State for the Environment for the UK can sit glibly in front of an audience, on national radio, and say that climate change is not happening.

What’s more, when asked if local protests against wind farms should be able to stop developments from going ahead, he responded with a clear message that from now on landscape, topography and heritage should take precedent over national energy targets. Leanne Wood’s valuable point that this should be rolled out to include all energy generation stations was a little lost on him. For him it’s the wind turbines that are the problem.

It was shocking what happened on Friday night at BBC Any Questions. Any illusions of “greenest-ever” governments or intentions to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions in the UK were shattered into pieces.

I thought that James Delingpole was going to be the right wing loon on the Any Questions programme on Friday night, but I was mistaken: it was Owen Paterson. The problem is that his ramblings are not confined to the back pages of the Daily Telegraph – he is a cabinet minister and he is responsible for the environment.

The current panel for the evening is Ann Clwyd, Owen Paterson and Leane Wood. Ann Clwyd Roberts is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley since 1998. Owen William Paterson is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2012 and the Member of Parliament for North Shropshire since 1997. Leanne Wood AM, is a Welsh politician and the leader of Plaid Cymru

The quality of the questions that the audience ask is crucial to the success of the programme. The producers look for questions on the most stimulating, moral, political and social issues of the day- the issues that get people talking.  At CAT the Any Questions box will be at the reception when the public enter from 18:00 and the audience can fill in their questions then.

For more information and for free tickets please contact kim.bryan@cat.org.uk/ 01654705957

Guest blogger Oscar

From the 8th – 11th March 2013 I was lucky enough to join a group of my school friends on a visit to the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales. In brief; it was a truly inspiring trip and I was able to talk to some really interesting people who work at the centre. The centre is built on an old slate waste tip from a slate quarry that used to be in action close by.

Solar panels at CAT

According to our guide, the centre was founded in 1974 and it aims to experiment with different environmentally friendly ways to produce electrical energy. As soon as you pull up in the, less eco-friendly, car you notice the most obvious ways they are producing electricity. The photo above was taken from underneath a roof of solar panels. The amazing design allows light into the sheltered area, yet is covered in solar panel tiles.

One of CAT’s wind turbines

Another aspect of the centre is all the wind turbines – however retro some of them were (see picture on above). It was an insight to be able to stand next to one blade off a modern wind turbine. They a huge! Although, in my opinion, that is not a bad thing. I think the modern wind turbines look futuristic and do not ruin the landscape – they enhance it. Imagine if there were wind turbines in London! How different our opinions of them would be. There is the debate that they are a danger to bats. This is due to the blades spinning at a speed that the bat’s sensors do not pick up and they, sadly, will fly into the blades. I’m sure there must be a way to stop this.

Not only is the centre truly educational – it is a place of enjoyment. I will never forget being in the mole tunnel. The darkness allows you to find your way around without the need of sight – much like a mole. There are small lights which help you see due to health and safety, however, these lights are small and do not let you see that much in front of you. The tunnel leads you to a small room that has enlarged plastic bugs behind glass windows – it is as if you are looking through a huge magnifying glass at the bugs. The whole experience is made even more interactive by Megan the Mole talking to you as you stroll around. As you leave the tunnel you must take a moment to stroke Megan the Mole’s nose… it may only be a pretend mole, but it is incredibly soft.

Megan the Mole

The wind turbine workshop is one of those memories I will never forget. Our tour guide ran the workshop and the aim was to make the wind turbine (small scale model of course) that generated the most electricity when placed in front of a fan. Before the workshop we had been briefed on wind turbines and shown some full size ones (well from a distance away). I tried to make a very… well…erm… a different unique design out of a recycled plastic cup. Well that didn’t work, but our team did have one of the best designs in the end. Not that I am competitive

Now the memory I definitely will not forget is the sensory walk. That was one of my favourite moments on the trip. Sadly, I couldn’t find anyone who took a photo of me doing it, so you’ll just have to imagine it. We were in a  woodland and the trees were connected by a rope. Each participant was given a helmet and blindfold to put on and we were led to the rope. The aim was to complete a sort of obstacle course whilst feeling our way around – there were people dotted around the course to help us if we lost the guide rope. I had heard that at some point we had to crawl through a tunnel so as soon as the rope fell onto the floor I assumed we would have to crawl. If memory serves right – I believe I army crawled most of the course and halfway around there was a river. I had heard people step into it and get wet so I knew it was approaching. I used my hands to feel the ground and I noticed a change of texture – it was sand. I felt a bit further out and touched water so I stayed clear of it. In the end I did army crawl through part of the river fully with a few friends – because we felt like it. I won’t say much else about it, because if you do go to CAT on a school trip I do not want to ruin the sensory walk. I’ll just repeat – it was amazing and so much fun.

Towards the Eco-Cabins

And that was that. We left on the Sunday to everyone’s great sadness. My time at the Centre had been full of surprises, excitement and most of all, enjoyment. Thank you for all the experiences CAT. I hope to visit again and I recommend anyone checks it out – especially schools. This is the perfect school trip and the students will learn so much – I know, because I learnt so much.

Throughout the spring we have been making bird boxes and cleaning coppice areas, a special work related with two different protected species: Willow tits and Dormice. A number of areas of the woodland have been prone to flooding and we have been managing this by building dams and ponds, to retain the rainfall. This should help the different bird species (migrants and residents) to nest and find food supply for their chicks and themselves.

The CAT woodland is a great home for willow tits

However, we don’t just build ponds and dams to slow water down or retain it. Recently we built a small pond in front of the bird hide at Coed Gwern so birds can drink out of it and even maybe bath.

Needless to say that these watery places will just be heaven for species who like getting wet. Pond skaters (these large mosquitoes look alike insects skating over the surface of the water) are usually the first ones to appear, then will come other invertebrates like dragonflies, spiders and frogs.

Monitoring changes: In January 2013 the Water and Natural resource department started an exciting new project involving the local community. The woodland is divided in 24 monitoring points which have been adopted by different people and groups. Through this project we are able to follow changes in the plant and animal life.
We have also been improving the network of paths and walks, placing signs to facilitate a good use of the woodland by visitors.To get involved in the woodland monitoring project contact:  adam.throughgood@cat.org.uk

Spring’s also the time to find out bird nesting sites. So  two monitoring routes were chosen and measured (100 meters long each) to survey bird species on a map once a week. This work, carried out over 5 weeks requires bird call and song listening skills as well as identifying birds. This work will enable us to draw up a map of the different nesting sites across Coed Gwern

Art in the woodlands: We have been involved in a biodiversity and arts project, developed by Jony Easterby, to build an artificial pond in the woodland. The pond is designed to be both a natural space for people to enjoy and promote water conservation.

Greenwood crafts: As one of the main activities in the winter and spring months is clearing, it makes perfect sense to use the cleared wood for building gates, fences and splitting logs for firewood next year.

The bird hide builders

Building Bird hides: In the last two months CAT volunteers have been working in a project to build a bird hide in the slate quarries, old dynamite hut. Wall stones were removed shifted, added, levelled and rubble was taken out of the ground to even it out. Once the walls were at the right height, the wood work came along (timber frame for the roof and planks above the walls and under the roof with openings to make it a proper bird hide). Last but not least it has got a proper metal roof, which provides good shelter for bird-watching and listening, rain and sun. So the bird hide is now up and roofed. We are now working on displays to help visitors identify woodland and field bird species, and benches to just sit and enjoy the different sounds of nature!

Worm research: We have continued with research that started last year into the use of tiger worms and compost toilets for developing countries

For more information on volunteering and working at CAT please check our webiste, we currently have a number of positions open for volunteers.

The solar oven

Paul Allen, External Relations Officer at CAT said “it is a wonderful gift to receive and we have already seen how on this cloudy day the sun is heating the pan, even in Wales.” Alsol works across Europe in providing solar products, with a strong emphasis on co-operation and educational development.

A solar oven cooks by turning light rays from the sun into heat; the sun is the fuel source. Reflectors on the solar oven direct the light towards a dark pot, which helps to absorb the heat.

Inspired by a previous model, CAT’s new oven has been designed and manufactured entirely in Spain.  The parabolic cooker can be used to fry, bake, roast and even cook bread. The ALSOL 1.2 is a powerful machine that uses clean, renewable energy from the sun to produce up to 7 litres of  boiling water daily. Since solar ovens do not require any fuel other than the sun, they are becoming very popular in developing nations in Asia, Africa and Europe. They are relatively inexpensive so many charitable organisations have begun to distribute them to people in areas without other options for power. Solar ovens can provide an environmentally responsible cooking solution for people all over the world.

Manolo explaining how the solar oven works

Manolo presenting the solar oven to the CAT team

The research period for the latest Zero Carbon Britain report is coming to a close, and we are now looking ahead to the communications phase of the project. We are recruiting for a Communications Officer to work alongside the current ZCB team, co-ordinating the communication of the new research findings, aiming to build awareness, stimulate debate and discussion, and catalyse further action amongst our target audiences.

Paul Allen, CAT’s Director of External Relations, talks about the roles and responsibilities of the post…

“We’re coming to the stage where we’ve completed the most recent year’s research. Because the 2010 report had such an impact in that lots of people were using it, lots of people were talking about it, the dialogue that came out of that made us recognise that there were some things where we couldn’t answer people’s questions. Not because what we’d got was wrong but because we hadn’t got enough detail. Particularly things like land use, diet and dealing with variability and balancing supply and demand. We recognised we needed to do some more work.

So we’ve been researching and burying our heads in data and looking at outputs from actual offshore wind farms, not theoretical models. Correlating them against actual Met data and scaling it up to give us an indication of what the profile of energy generation would be, and then comparing that with the demand profile and coming up with a new report which will be much much more detailed.

Paul Allen and Peter Harper discuss the 2010 ZeroCarbonBritain report

The new person’s job will be to run a communications strategy based around that research. We’ve got a draft aims and objectives of the communications plan and their first job is to go through that and add more detail to research into the different markets, look at the mapping that we’ve done, look at where the different target groups are now and what tools and resources we might need to develop. But primarily I think it’s looking at communicating it through CAT, because CAT’s clients are the people who are interested in this in any case and we’re surrounded by the sort of infrastructure that helps bring the point across.

It’s also about getting it out to other groups who can act as amplifiers of the message, particularly through developing the ‘ZeroCarbonBritain and…’ two-pagers, which seem to have worked very well in getting other people to think: ‘well what would it mean for refugees’ or ‘what would it mean for Egypt’ or all sorts of other things. So they will be building on that, developing more of those and so bringing in more groups. Also working with arts, creative practice and we’ve put some money in a budget to have ZeroCarbonBritain activities happening on the site, and it won’t be just kids activities, it’ll be family activities for the adults as well as the kids. And the new Comms role will be managing that, working out how we can take Laura’s Larder or Tobi’s energy game and do it this summer, for real, with the visitors…

It’s a chance to find somebody who is technically fluent, who’s got a science or an engineering background, who isn’t going to be completely flustered by somebody asking questions. I think it’ll be a really interesting job for whoever gets it. It’s the chance to work on cutting edge, state of the art thinking about how we grapple with 21^st Century challenges. It means not having to beat on about the negative side of Climate Change and the worrying side for frightened looking polar bears on diminishing icebergs but to spout on about exciting visions of positive futures where we can cross the changes that we need to make to decarbonise with changes that can increase well-being, or more habitat, or economic recovery, or the jobs part of it. So there’s lots of positives there.”

Application packs can be downloaded from the CAT website.

More information about ZeroCarbonBritain can be found here.

CAT recommends connection to mains sewerage where possible because it provides an efficient way of disposing of material that is difficult to treat on a small scale. However, you can still easily reduce your water usage using these tips:

Use less!

Mains water provides a clean and safe supply of drinking water but it is vital that we all reduce the waste. Using less of this resource is a better option than trying to find more of it so consider simple methods of water conservation in your home. By replacing washers and installing flow control valves you can use less water.

Many properties already use a simple rainwater butt to save water for watering the garden. This can save significant amounts of water if you’re not doing this already.

The energy used to heat water has a bigger impact than the delivery of mains water so only boil as much water as you need. Using less hot water has a large positive impact on your energy efficiency.

Recycle your greywater for the garden!

Greywater is any household waste water that has not been produced from the toilet. As summer approaches, you can easily recycle your greywater for the garden and reclaim some of the nutrients you might currently flush away.

You can’t store greywater because it contains fats, bacteria and other pathogens. However, a simple way to filter your water whilst reclaiming nutrients for composting is to use a straw trap. This is a basket of straw inserted into your kitchen drain. It will filter large debris and some fat from your waste water. Routinely empty the contents of the trap into your compost and replace with fresh straw.

After filtering, greywater for the garden can be left untreated, but only if biodegradable, non-toxic household cleaning and toiletry products are used in the water system. Make sure to apply the dirty water onto the soil, not the plants.

Compost Toilets

The average person uses 50 litres each day to flush the toilet! Recycling water for flushing toilets can save domestic water but requires treatment such as filtering and disinfectant to remove biological material and bacteria. This will probably increase your environmental impact. Installing a low flush device is much more effective. The EA has a very useful guide on re-using and harvesting water.

Another option is a dry or compost toilet. These don’t use water to flush the sewage away and composts the waste instead. A range of choices are available, either to buy or DIY. Adding the right amount of carbon-typical materials gives good decomposition and creates perfect compost for the garden. You can use sawdust, straw & earth to this effect.

Keeping urine separate is key to a successful composting toilet, otherwise they can become anaerobic and smelly. CAT runs a one-day course on composting toilets, which serves as the perfect introduction to dry toilet systems.

Check out CAT’s information service for more tips!

You can find loads more info about sustainable living on our website. As well as our short courses, CAT offers a free information service on all aspects of rainwater harvesting & domestic water efficiency. You can contact us by phone at 01654 705989.

There are a number of great books available. Judith Thornton’s book, Choosing Ecological Water Supply and Treatment, is a fully revised new edition of CAT’s previous publication The Water Book. Choosing Ecological Sewage Treatments is also a great resource for anyone considering off-mains treatment systems.

As we slowly move into spring, complete with April showers in May, it’s easy to see why this part of Wales has been recognised as being rather special. CAT is privileged to both play a part in, and be part of, the Dyfi Biosphere.

You can find out more about the Dyfi Biosphere here.

The Dyfi Valley - photo by Burhan Saeed

CAT's stand at Grand Designs Live

Our goal at Grand Designs Live was twofold: provide the public with an interesting demonstration of glue laminating, whilst also raising awareness of different methods of dealing with human waste. Compost toilets are not for everybody, if you are connected to a local sewage system then chances are you will not need to deal with your own waste. However, some off-grid locations mean that people have to be a little more creative in the sewage solutions.

Glue laminating at Grand Designs Live

During our time at Grand Designs Live, one thing that kept cropping up again and again was bafflement. People often asked us why we were making a compost toilet, especially one so beautiful. Well, compost toilets can be efficient and practical, resulting in nutrient-rich soil to be used in the garden. They don’t use any water or chemicals, although most types of toilet need a fair bit of room to allow composting to occur at a steady pace. We have several composting toilets up at CAT, working alongside our reedbed sewage system and providing us with fertiliser for our gardens. Furthermore, why not make a beautiful building to house your compost toilet? It’s a place you visit each day after all! We also liked how the idea of it fitted in with the ‘grand design’ aspect of Grand Designs Live.

Work on the arches for the compost toilet

People certainly seemed to agree with us, judging by the level of interest we received each day. Engaging with people on environmental issues whilst also showing how we go about dealing with these problems was wonderful. Moving people’s thoughts away from bafflement and towards more environmental ways of thinking is key. Hopefully in the future CAT will be able to visit even more shows to keep spreading the word.

For more information on alternative sewage systems check out CAT’s information page on the subject. We also run short courses on sewage and waste water management. Further info here.

To see more of the Timber Arc, head to Jules’ website.

Electricity production from wind power in the UK has increased dramatically over the last few years, as this graph shows.

Plotted using National Grid data, it shows the proportion of UK electricity that is produced by wind turbines, from early 2009 to March 2013. The daily values appear chaotic as wind power output fluctuates between windy and calm days. But the 90 day rolling average shows a clear upwards trend, and this is at least partially due to the completion of a few very large offshore wind farms: September 2012 saw the completion of the Greater Gabbard wind farm off the coast of Suffolk with a 504 MW maximum output. It was the world’s largest wind farm – but only until early April 2013, when the last one of 175  turbines at the London Array (Phase I) offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary was connected, bringing that wind farm to the top of the global league table with 630 MW.

Research carried out by CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain research team (to be published later this year) shows that offshore wind power has the potential to be the ‘work horse’ of a renewably powered future energy scenario, producing nearly half of our energy. So these recent developments are certainly steps in the right direction!