| |||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consultancy CAT consultancy in brief The Centre for Alternative Technology has been turning environmental inspiration into practical solutions for over 25 years. CAT's consultancy service offers organisations; businesses and individuals the chance to turn their environmental aspirations into reality. CAT expertise • Renewable
energy CAT authors available for consultancies:
Louise
Halestrap BSc, MPhil – Water and waste systems consultant. Peter
Harper BSc – Eco-centre design and ecological landscaping consultant. Rob Gwillim
– Renewable Energy Consultant.
Cindy Harris BA – Environmental Building Consultant. Cindy joined the Centre for Alternative Technology in 1986 and has worked on all CAT's major timber frame buildings. In 1991 she led the team which built the Top Station building for CAT's water balanced cliff railway, a £180,000 project built entirely out of locally grown and re-used untreated timber. Since then she has project managed several other trail-blazing ecological buildings, including CAT's new £450,000 Autonomous Environmental Information Centre (AtEIC) and external projects such as the YHA class room at Borth and a house at Taiffordd, near Aberystwyth. In 2001 she was awarded Honourary Membership of The Royal Society of Architects in Wales. Cindy teaches CAT's Self Build course and other courses as well as lecturing to university and specialist groups. She is an expert on environmental building materials. During 1997 she spent six months in Australia, teaching a course on Energy Efficient Building Design. Prior to her work with CAT, Cindy worked for six years for a Birmingham residents' association, advising on and carrying out home improvements. As well as her City & Guilds certificate in carpentry and joinery she has a degree in sociology and worked as a teacher and counsellor. Project example: Feasibility study for eco-housing For Gwynedd County Council, Snowdonia Housing Association. An investigation in to the feasibility of introducing eco-housing concepts into this rural area of north Wales. Areas covered included passive solar design, use of environmentally-friendly locally sourced materials, training requirements, housing needs and costs. The findings will be applied to both new build and renovations.
Louise Halestrap BSc, MPhi – Water and waste systems consultant. Louise leads CAT's consultancy services on water treatment, conservation and recycling, and solid waste management. In addition she has responsibility for managing, monitoring and maintaining the Centre's independent water supply and reed bed sewage treatment system. Louise runs CAT's courses on Sewage Solutions, including managed wetland systems and waterless toilets, and she lectures regularly to a wide range of students. Prior to her work with CAT Louise was Director of Research for a London-based organic waste management company. She has an MPhil in the microbial ecology of composting systems and a BSc in Environmental Biology. Project example: Environmental sewage treatment Sanitation system for Viscri village, Romania For Mihai Eminescu Trust. Planning how to use environmental technologies to rehabilitate this ancient Saxon village and so bring employment and prosperity to this very depressed area of Romania. By sensitively upgrading the sanitation facilities and renovating existing buildings using local labour and traditional materials, the village will provide training and employment and be able to welcome 'Western' tourists without placing an additional burden on natural resources. The compost toilets throughout the village are now being upgraded and there are plans to install a reed bed system for the entire village to cope with grey water discharge.
Peter Harper BSc – Head of Research and Development. Eco-centre design and ecological landscaping consultant. Peter is responsible for landscaping and display gardens at CAT, and he has lectured extensively on organic gardening, the recycling of biological wastes and alternative technology to the public and to university students. He leads a Natural Gardening course at CAT and lectures on various courses on alternative sewage systems and water treatment. Peter is responsible for CAT's display strategy and he provides CAT's consultancy advice on the feasibility and design of new eco-centres. He has written articles and presented papers on a vast range of subjects including ecological design, green dilemmas for public gardens, technological risk and water efficiency. He is the author of several books including The Natural Garden Book, Radical Technologyand Crazy Idealists? Peter has been a prominent figure in shaping the ideology of the emerging alternative technology movement in Britain. He has acted as consultant to UNESCO on alternative technology and spent many years as a self-employed writer and lecturer. He has a degree in Zoology. Project example: Ecocentre Design ECOS – Millennium Environmental Centre For W.R. & R.T. Taggart & Ballymena Borough Council, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Ballymena Borough Council developed ambitious plans for a town park on derelict land including a national centre for environmental advice, research and education. CAT advised on the nature of both the building itself and the exhibitions on renewable energy technologies and sustainable development issues it should house. The design proposals won funding from the Millennium Commission and the centre is now open to the public.
Rob Gwillim – Renewable Energy Consultant. Rob is responsible for the operation and maintenance of CAT's renewable energy systems, including CAT's 15kW and 600kW wind turbines. He is one of CAT's core lecturer's, teaching several renewable energy courses each year. He is the chief renewable energy lecturer on CAT's MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies, run jointly with the University of East London. Rob has overseen numerous renewable energy projects for CAT including: the installation of two micro-hydro schemes; the design of heating control systems for a 50kW woodchip boiler; the installation of CAT's 13.5kW photovoltaic roof; and the design of an integrated district heating system at CAT, incorporating solar water heating, woodchip burning and heat storage. Prior to his work at CAT, Rob worked as production manager for the Bradford Alhambra and prior to that as theatrical electrician for Reading Hexagon. He trained in naval architecture. Project example: Survey and Proposals for the use of Photovoltaics in Remote Locations For the Environment Agency. A survey of the Environment Agency's remote flood monitoring systems to determine their suitability for powering with photovoltaics. 171 sites in the south east of England were assessed. A database of the results has been produced on CD-ROM. A design has been prepared, including modifications to allow for remote telemetry at a selection of locations.
Other CAT Consultants As well as the authors listed above CAT employs several other consultants. For full details of the range of consultancies CAT can undertake email our Consultancy Coordinator, Ian Taylor, at consultancy@cat.org.uk (01654 705991) or take a look at our consultancy page. |
||||||||||||||