Småland Living Lab
What is the potential of our regional collaborations for futures of sustainability?
By taking a bold and systemic approach, we aim to gather all the knowledge about sustainable living that exists in a region that still can remember scarcity and genuine resource efficiency, and synergise the optimism, entrepreneurial spirit and technological know-how that characterises it today. The deeply rooted knowledge and practice includes sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, an economy of sharing, self-sufficiency, design and craft. The environmental challenges that define our time are intimately connected with financial and social challenges – segregation, immigration, and norms that close or create possibilities.
Småland Living Lab is about finding and building on synergies between social, cultural, economic and ecological dimensions of sustainability. Through this project we can simultaneously experiment, learn and change, educate and inspire. Our vision is that Småland Living Lab will connect a range of initiatives in the remit of sustainability within the region, for knowledge exchange, power and visibility, and also create models for other regions. Småland Living Lab works at the local and regional level to support adaption to a circular economy and to meet and exceed the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Småland Living Lab uses metadesign approaches and tools developed to prompt synergy in transdisciplinary collaborations
Småland Living Lab enjoys seed funding from Linnaeus University, and is a member of the European Network of Living Labs.
Småland Living Lab is led by Mathilda Tham and Sara Hyltén-Cavallius, Department of Design, LNU. Founding partners are Erik Rosell, School of Economy, LNU, Bo Hjälmefjord and Julia Ahlrot, Municipality of Växjö, Maja Söderberg, Nybrukarna and Sarah Nilsson, Energy Agency Southeast.