KEEPERS : RAINFOREST LAB&KITCHEN

Solutions and Knowledge are there. Design is needed to connect the theory and the practice. KEEPERS brings the connections to the table.

Long Description

Dealing with the effects of climate change is not simply a matter of technological ingenuity or smart applications. It’s complex stuff. It takes good collaboration, on all levels, to actually trigger change. People with various perspectives need to connect. But it’s exactly that connection that’s missing.

In Selva Lacandona, a rapidly disappearing Mexican rainforest, scientists and local community both are concerned with the future of the forest but they don’t share their scientific knowledge and practical know-how.

Cascoland is designing that connection. On invitation of the University of Mexico (UNAM) and Wageningen University and in collaboration with Commonland, an organisation for land restoration, Cascoland proposes to design a communication platform where a cross-disciplinary community can grow and take action. We call it the KEEPERS of the Rainforest LAB&KITCHEN, “KEEPERS” in short.

KEEPERS brings local communities, creatives-in-residence, scientists-in-residence, farmers and cooks together around the kitchen table to connect, exchange knowledge and implement new trans-disciplinary solutions to farming; a test ground for ideas that conciliate land restoration, conservation, food production and better livelihood in the tropical region with the ultimate aim to help slow down climate change.

In early 2018 the town of Chajul will be hosting the first KEEPERS pilot. The design and programming of KEEPERS will be shaped following Cascoland’s unique methodology: designing short-term interventions, tools for meeting and communication, creating public space, and collective moments. This way design works to bridge communication gaps, unlocking humanity’s potential to solve problems together.