Low Carbon Chinatown is an environmental initiative that combines food, data science and community participation to explore different ways that we can all help respond to the Climate Crisis.
Awards: Finalist Award for Seoul Design Award 2023
Featured in: London Design Festival 2022, Design Exchange
In the project, East and Southeast Asian community members worked with a data scientist and notable food writers to develop low carbon (footprint) versions of typical Chinese dishes, exploring different low carbon ingredients, cooking techniques and food sources that, in combination, still retained a core essence of Chinese food culture. The low carbon dishes and learnings were then presented back to the wider public in a pop-up structure built using low carbon materials and processes used to host a series of sit down communal meals. The pop-up is situated in an outdoor space as a public demonstration of East & Southeast Asians’ collective commitment to tackling the climate crisis through their own collective efforts.
Food, with its association to culture, is something we all have in common, breaking down barriers and bringing us all together, Low Carbon Chinatown showed how reimagining food, art and design can contribute to a more sustainable future.
Low Carbon Chinatown premiered in London in 2022, where a group of 60 East and South East Asian communities in London collectively developed 3 low carbon (footprint) recipes through working alongside a data scientist Raphael Leung and acclaimed food writers Mimi Aye, Uyen Luu and Shu Han Lee.
Using the project’s digital tool – Low Carbon Recipe Book platform, participants each experiment with making a low carbon version of the dish at home, recording their steps as they made sense of the dish’s carbon footprint data via different phases of the cooking process, from farming, food processes, sourcing of ingredients, cooking techniques, to food waste.
❝ I love how the project meld culture and sustainability together, not just plant based food, but learning about our food culture as well as ways to reduce carbon footprint emission, that was really fun. I thought it was a great event and also the sense of community as we all ate together and work with the community centre, its a great experience overall ❞
– A participant from the Low Carbon Chinatown workshop
The low carbon recipes were visually documented using similar aesthetic to those often seen in popular online food blogs as a way to explore visually representing carbon footprint data and embedding them into the food making process that would incentivise people to practice the methods at home, and thought it explore other ways to reduce their carbon footprint through food and cooking. Read about the engagement process and the low carbon recipes here.
Some of the low carbon recipes that were developed in Low Carbon Chinatown
The participatory process culminated in a public showcase where a Pop-Up Structure built from low carbon materials and processes is installed in London Chinatown as part of London Design Festival 2022. Members of the public are invited to a series of sit-down meals featuring the low carbon dishes, discussions and talks about the data science of climate change and Chinese food culture. The Pop-up structure reimagines alternative ways to produce touring structure and how it can contribute to a more sustainable future. Read about the design of the Pop-Up Structure here.
❝Wonderful to see this happening in Chinatown – we’re here regularly but this is something very different…❞
❝Enjoyed the pre-meal talk by Ling and Mimi. Very innovative, felt like there was no stone left unturned when it came to sustainability.❞
❝Really enjoyable event loved the pop up structure and tech. It was super insightful and I learnt things about low carbon footprint – I am inspired❞
– Feedbacks from members of the public who came to the Pop-Up
❝ I love having the whole setup here in Chinatown and the food is amazing and super tasty. Food is cultural, and here in the project, we are learning the knowledge to make these [low carbon] food at home from other people. And most importantly, having the pop-up structure in Gerrard street where historically it has always been a gathering space for people is especially meaningful. ❞
– Gianfranco Chicco, Head of Content & Digital at London Design Festival
Special thanks to
Data scientist Raphael Leung
Collaborating Food writers MiMi Aye, Uyen Luu and Shu Han Lee
Community partners London Chinese Community Centre, Hackney Chinese Community Centre, Newham Chinese Association and Royal Docks
Kakilang Team An-Ting Chang, Daniel York Loh, Sandy Wan, Katrina Man, Apollonia Bauer, Si Rawlinson
Production Manager Nick Murray
Design collaborator Usman Haque
Engineer consultant Atelier One
Low Carbon Chinatown is a project by Ling Tan, produced by Kakilang.
