Mabeo Now Building With Local, Certified Woods

TreeHugger has been a fan of Peter Mabeo and the North South Project for a while; we love his furniture that balances local traditions with a contemporary sensibility, building a local industry and a design identity for Botswana. Patty Johnson created "a new model of viable design and craft collaborations in the developing world, working half a world away from Peter, designing for his factory.

I was worried on Saturday, when there was an empty booth; The stuff got caught in customs. But by Monday the booth was installed and we caught up with a very tired Peter Mabeo.

Our biggest concern has been the footprint that came from bringing wood in all the way from Europe to make the furniture and then ship it back, but the demand for certified wood has grown, and so have forests in Cameroon, producing a more local, sustainable source of wood. The big table and traditional benches are made from it. Peter explains in the video.

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