After settling into our hostel, Riverhouse Backpackers, we were thrown a welcome reception at the University of Cardiff. We were wined and dined beautifully, then had the privilege to attend a lecture given by the charming Rhodri Thomas, a representative from Sustain Wales.
Sustain Wales is government-funded not-for-profit organization responsible for communicating and promoting sustainable development across Wales. This organization seems designed to bridge the gap between government, business, and the citizens of Wales. According to Rhodri, Sustain Wales coordinates opportunities for citizens and government officials to collaborate to create policies and communications that will encourage sustainability throughout Wales.
It is important to recall that Wales was once a heavily industrialized country, relying on copper ore and coal for the majority of economic growth. Rhodri told us that Sustain Wales tries to encourage community activism that supports the protection and utilization the reneweable resources Wales has to offer, such as hydropower (as in micro hydropower pipelines generated by small streams), and bio-gas plants (as in recycling human waste into methane to be burned as a fuel source). Advancements in sustainable technology have allowed Wales to transition itself from an industrialized economy into an economy that derives a large profit from ecotourism.
This ecotourism can be seen in the attraction of peoples from around the world who are interested in enjoying the preserved Welsh landscapes as well as learning more about small-scale sustainable communities.
A huge revelation revealed to us by Rhodri was the idea that implementing sustainable technology and attitudes into Welsh villages is not as difficult as we might expect. This is because the hardships faced by ex-coal miners suffering from financial difficulties due to the closing of their source of livelihood have led to citizens’ attitudes that depleting fewer resources and recycling more is not only good for the earth, but economical. The valleys between the mountains housing the old coal mines create enough separation between communities that becoming energy independent allows the villages a potential source of income as they sell any excess energy generated back to the grid for the rest of the country.
One village generates energy through a hydropower reservoir and uses that energy to power an electric car that is shared by the village. We will be learning more about this process tomorrow in our expedition to Brecon Beacons National Park, where the village is located.
Rhodri also told us a few nifty facts about the Welsh Government that explained why a division like Sustain Wales exists. When Wales wrote its constitution in the late 1990’s, a promise that the Welsh government would protect the environment and encourage sustainability regardless of which party was in power at any given time was implemented. They focus on the healthy well-being of the people of Wales, the management of the country’s ecosystems, biodiversity, economic output, and social justice. Most importantly, the government is not only conscious of, but actively trying to reduce Wales’ ecological footprint.
Being Team Newt, we were particularly excited when Rhodri went on a small tangent about the protection of newts in Wales. Even the smallest of creatures is crucial to the survival of any ecosystem because they could (even unknowingly) be a keystone species, and the Welsh government knows this! When we visited the site of the Olympic Game in London, we were distressed to learn that over 4,000 newts have been displaced by construction. In Wales, construction sites often build small walls to contain newts during the building process, and they then sometime moved to an area that is as close to an exact replica of their previous habitat as possible. We realize this is not ideal, but it is certainly better than losing 4,000 newts!
In the current Sustainable Development Scheme (a vision of the Welsh government’s commitment to sustainability), called “One Wales: One Planet,” Rhodri reminds us that the government of Wales has unique duty to protect the environment. This scheme is the current plan for businesses and other entities to pursue sustainability in Wales, and will be reevaluated every few years. 
Our team is excited to visit the valleys of Wales and Brecon Beacon National Park in the morning, to hopefully be presented with a new and different perspective on sustainability as we explore previously industrial areas that have been cleaned up by the implementation of sustainable technology made possible by government organizations like Sustain Wales and community activism alike.
Cheers, Team Newt
greeningtheunionjack2011 
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