After we got together with village leaders, we decided to invite the community to conduct an economic awareness program. In the workshop we discussed the importance of bamboo as a sustainable resource that is widely available, native to the region, and that has a steady economic short and long term demand in the market. Bamboo also protects the soil from erosions, sustains water and gives a cooling effect to the hot region. Animals also love it!
After doing research with representatives from the forest department and a local architect who works with bamboo, we lead a community discussion based on the different types of bamboo, and the uses of bamboo in terms of handicrafts and building methods. It is important to mention here, that locals have started to build houses with cement on a jungle type of soil.
In contrast, we spread awareness about the dangers of plastic and aluminum. I personally wish we would have spoken more about the immense danger of rubber plantations…
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