I have prepared a "Renwable Energy" Fieldweek in the south of France for a small group in April 2016 which I am running together with my friend Roger Tattersall (aka Tallbloke.) Outline details of the program can be seen at

http://www.imslconsulting.co.uk/renewable-energy-fieldweek-in-the-pyrenees-orientale-april-2016/

I cut and paste the text from my web pages below for information.

Renewable Energy Fieldweek in the Pyrenees Orientale: April 2016

A 7 night residential field-trip is being run in the foothills of the French Pyrenees Orientale in April 2016 based in luxury apartments in Escouloubre les Bains on the D118 south of Limoux.

This course will be limited to a maximum of eight participants and is organised by Ian Laidlaw, formerly a lecturer in Physical Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He will be assisted by Roger Tattersall, an engineer, prize-winner blogger and environmental consultant.

Participants can be met at Carcassonne airport and returned to the airport at the end of the week.

The field-week will be fully catered for other than the elective purchase of additional alcoholic drinks.

A range of both Vegan and Vegetarian options are available if pre-booked.

As has been the case since Ian Laidlaw launched Celtic Cultural Tours in 2005 the cost of this field-week includes the purchase of sufficient carbon offsets to balance the carbon footprint of the participants for the entire week. Therefore the actual cost will depend on your travel arrangements, less if you arrive at our base at Escouloubre les Bains by bicycle, much more if you choose to arrive by private jet! (There is no airfield in the immediate vicinity.)

The package cost, excluding the Ryan Air flights, will be £800 per person. A maximum carbon credit discount of £63 will be applied for participants who arrive at the appartments from their permanent residence without using any fossil-fuelled transport.

There will be visits to Solar, Wind, Hydro and Hydrothermal installations during the week.

This region is famed for its wines and cuisine and these will not be overlooked during the week!

Further details on application to

hamish@imslconsulting.co.uk

Closing Date to apply for this field-week is 1st March 2016.

The general tone of this event will be gently educational.

The comments of BH denizens will be appreciated.

Ian Laidlaw

What is the reason for mentioning/including "carbon offsets"?

It would be instructive for follow the path of these carbon offset payments and to find out what actually happens to the money including what action(s) results.

That in itself could be a good study.

Out of interest, how much does the "carbon offset" for a litre of petrol cost?

And do participants who arrive hitch-hiking have to pay a "carbon offest"?

Re Carbon Offsets

It is true that I, somewhat ironically, set up my Celtic Cultural Tours to be zero carbon over a decade ago, see

http://www.laidlawenterprises.co.uk/celtic_cultural_tours.shtml

However I am not punishing folk for driving a Porsche or having a private jet but simply rewarding those who have made a personal effort to get to this event in a proportional manner. In the olden days some of you may recall hat theYHA (Youth Hostel Association in the UK) discouraged visitors who arrived by car - now there are car parks at YHA hostels.

Similarly I have presented a low carbon lifestyle award to a member of the Moortown Environmental Group who ran a five bedroom house for 12 months with a total energy bill of £240 last year. See

http://yorkshirereporter.co.uk/leeds-resident-receives-prize-for-zero-carbon-home/

I will now open up a new thread for the discussion of carbon footprints. In the same way as I had much useful input from BH readers for my recent Rotary Club talk on "Renewable Energy" it does no harm to talk about these issues. My next Rotary club talk is on 4th January 2016 also in the Leeds area. This will touch on Renewable Energy Polices and Energy Security in the UK.

I wish this discussion thread to be about my proposed April 2016 Renewable Energy Fieldweek.

Thanks,

Ian

" simply rewarding those who have made a personal effort to get to this event in a proportional manner"

" I have presented a low carbon lifestyle award"

Presumptious tw*t.

Foxtrot Oscar.

Dear "Jolly Farmer",

Two comments.

1. Irony is clearly NOT one of your strengths. I am on your side.
2. You are clearly not really as jolly as your handle implies. I will put this down to low blood sugar levels or a rare susceptibility to increased CO2 (joke)

On the positive side I thank you for the interesting link to "Consulting Geologist" who comes over as technically very able and who has set up a good web site which I had not seen before.

Ian