| “As
a schoolboy I remember becoming aware of the peppery aroma
of Kiaat rising up from the plane”… so starts my
interview with Allan Schwarz. When speaking to Allan about
his passion for conservation and his projects in Mozambique, it is clear that it has always been a part of who he is. Some
people are destined to make a real impact on the world. I am
privileged to have met such an individual.
In 1993 Allan retired from Academia and the formal practice
of Architecture. He turned his talents and vision on the
Miombo forests in Mozambique leaving behind MIT in Boston,
where he was teaching a course called Design with Nature,
and an international, collaborative Architectural practice
specialising in environmentally sensitive projects.
Allan’s passion it to break the poverty-forest destruction
cycle. He believes that: “Poverty is at the root of
forest destruction. My dream is to break the economic necessity
of such destruction by economically empowering the forest’s
inhabitants while building a culture of giving back what
is taken or used from the forest and the landscape.” In
a region where both poverty and forest loss are extensive,
Allan is conserving forests by investing in, developing and
managing the resources in a sustainable way for the benefit
of all the forest inhabitants; thus guaranteeing the survival
of his beloved timbers and all the creatures around it.
Using his qualifications as Journey Carpenter and Master
Etcher, Allan works with the people who live on forest land
to take inventory of the resources and has created a forest
management plan that balances timber harvesting with re-planting.
He employs workers and trains them in sustainable, on-site,
value-added production activities that generate income while
contributing to the management of the forest.
The exceptionally high standard of the AD SCHWARZ brand
is uniquely blended with environmental responsibility. The
AD SCHWARZ products are elegant, sophisticated and timeless,
whether it is a simple
|
