About The Alpine Community Economies Lab uses participatory design and foresight methods, combined with practical economic experimentations, to support alpine communities in addressing the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and limited imagination of the possible. In doing so, it creatively grounds and explores the Alpine Convention’s Climate Action Plan 2.0 and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The Alpine Community Economies Lab operates via a gender-sensitive and community-rooted research space in Rovereto (Trentino/Italy). By creating real-life theory-practice relays in collaboration with a diversity of civic and public actors, the lab engages in transversal investigations of (trans)local economies to sustain eco-social livelihoods in the valley and beyond. “Being-in-common – that is, community – can no longer be thought of or felt as a community of humans alone; it must become multi-species community that includes all of those with whom our livelihoods are interdependent and interrelated. ” BY Katherine Gibson CORE LAB TEAM OF PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCHERS • Dr. Bianca Elzenbaumer, Assistant Professor Lusófona University, research-through-co-design • Fabio Franz, transformation designer • Carlo Bettinelli, agro-ecologist and expert in participatory processes • Chiara Mura, social worker and expert in social innovation processes • Flora Mammana, transformation designer and baker • Carmen Gonzales-Miranda, forest management and environmental pedagogy • Paulina Mimberg, communication designer • Justine Hartwig, communication designer and open science facilitator • Panos Tsiamyrtzis Bakas, urban designer • Silvia Cohn, eco-social designer and expert in enviornmental studies and policy Advisory board: • Prof Katherine Gibson, Western Sydney University • Dr Jenny Cameron, Community Economies Institute • Kathrin Böhm, Centre for Plausible Economies c/o Company Drinks • Dr Kate Rich, Feral Trade Theory-practice relays the lab team activates: • Comunità Frizzante – making drinks to make community • La Foresta – community academy • Forno Vagabondo – a mobile bread oven • Sottobosco – an experiment in forest pedagogy Former lab members: • Kim Kaborda, Erasmus+ Trainee and sociologist (2020-2021) • Irene Bettinelli, voluntary civil servant and herb expert (2020-2021) • Marla Nichele, voluntary civil servant and eco-social designer (2020-2021) • Angelica Cianflone, voluntary civil servant and eco-social designer (2020-2021) • Irene Manfrini, voluntary civil servant and environmental activist (2020-2021) • Sofia Set, forest pedagogy teacher (2020-2022) • Elisabetta Monti, farmer and activist within the Via Campesina movement (2020-2023) Support team at Eurac Research (2019-2021): • Dr. Thomas Streifeneder, head of the Institute for Regional Development • Dr. Harald Pechlaner, head of the Center for Advanced Studies • Anna Silbernagl, team assistant • Stefania Lochmann, team assistant • Ieva Kudure, team assistant • Dr. Karina Kössler, Research & Development Office • Dr. Liise Lehtsalu, Open Access & Data Management • Martin Angler, Science Communication Visual communication: • Nino Rizzo, graphic design of website and publications • Veronica Martini, illustrations of Vallagarina 2060 and graphics of the Rural Commons Festival Since autumn 2022, the Lab is affiliated with the Center for other Worlds at Lusófona University in Lisbon (PT). Throughout 2019 to 2021, the lab was funded through a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (grant agreement no. 795641) and hosted at the Institute for Regional Development at EURAC Research (Bozen-Bolzano, Italy). The Habitat Unit, with Prof. Philipp Misselwitz of the Technical University Berlin acted as a second supporting institution. So far the policy partners of the lab were: the Municipality of Rovereto, Tavolo Trentino per l’Economia Solidale, Trentino Sviluppo, EUSALP – working group 3, Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. PrintFriendly
