Centre for Alternative Technology

The Centre for Alternative Technology sits on a seven-acre site in a disused slate quarry near Machynlleth, Powys. The quarry once supplied stone for the narrow-gauge Corris Railway. The centre was founded in 1973 by Gerard Morgan-Grenville after he left business to work for the environment. It began as the National Centre for Alternative Technology and grew into a charity teaching sustainable living. The site includes buildings made from strawbale, rammed earth and hempcrete. A water-balanced funicular railway carries visitors up the steep slope from the entrance. Visitors find working examples of renewable energy systems and green building methods. Interactive displays explain solar, wind and hydropower, while a low-energy house shows how homes can use less fuel. A site-wide grid runs on the centre’s own renewables. Britain’s largest green bookshop stocks titles on ecology and DIY technology. A vegetarian restaurant serves meals made from organic produce grown on site. Short courses and postgraduate degrees cover sustainable architecture, food growing and energy management. The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education opened in 2010 as a model of ecological design. Its lecture theatre walls are made from 320 tonnes of rammed earth, and the building uses passive solar design and heat recovery ventilation. The institute hosts conferences and teaches sustainable architecture at postgraduate level. Nearby, the Dyfi Valley is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, reflecting the centre’s regional influence. Former CAT workers run Dyfi Wholefoods and Dulas Ltd, a renewable-energy company.