Snorkeling around Vorovoro / Photo by Ben Keene
Our vision of the future is dependent upon our understanding of the past. We have to this point largely ignored the fact that we will never be able to separate ourselves from our environment and that any destruction we cause to it is a senseless act of self destruction. As we come together to turn our vison of a sustainable tomorrow into a reality we must remember that this means more than exchanging coal power plants for wind turbines.
So, how have we been doing this on the island of Vorovoro recently…
Community & Consciousness
Physical resources are only one part of what we as humans beings need. The greatest challenge of our time will be to protect and adapt the wisdom of the ethnosphere to our modern way of life. To live in harmony and in balance with our environment we must first come to know our place within it. We must know where we have come from to know where we are, and where we are going. If we are to reclaim our place as stewards of the planet and gain the knowledge necessary to start the regeneration of the crumbling ecosphere we must never stop asking ourselves, what does it mean to be human and what is our responsibility to those with whom we share this planet?
Water
Safety has come up a few times during our exploration of the land above the waterfall. Safety for the plants – are we destroying a unique habitat? Safety for the land – could our activities contribute to erosion and destroy the waterfall? Safety to people and animals – could the reservoir prove dangerous and how high can we build this thing without risking the stone breaking under the pressure?
As we have gone about answering these questions it has reminded me that we are guests here. Not just in the sense that we are leasing this land, but rather in the sense that our time here is short. This project if done properly could be here for hundreds of years. It can always be taken down, but if left alone, the new habitat that we are creating will last far beyond all of our lives. The Fijians know this. They live this realization everyday and it is a great comfort to be working on this project with them, and with their blessings. How can you plan for a future that you can’t see? Can we ever really know what the consequences of our actions will be? The best we can do is act upon the knowledge and information that we have at the time and never stop asking why? or what if? Thanks to everyone for raising your concerns and questions. It has made this project more complete, better defined and surely has a better chance of success because of you. If this new resevior can store enough water to keep the gardens growing year round, and If nobody gets hurt in the process, I will consider it a success.
Last week we started by clearing a trail up to the basin. We learned an interesting story from the Fijians. There is a lava tube on the ridge above the basin and according to local legend, the spirit gaurd of Vanua Levu lives there. The story goes that disguised as a shark, he swam out of the sea, turned into a man, walked down the beach, turned into a dog, ran up the hill and now lives on Vorovoro. I am still trying to learn his name as I think it would be appropriate to name the reservior after him.
Food
The seasons here are changing and we are clearing more land and expanding the gardens. Yesterday, Leavi, Sophie and I planted corn. The Native Americans planted what they called The Three Sisters: Beans to grow up the corn stalks and squash to cover the ground, keeping down the weeds.
It has also become apparent that our food statistics are way off the mark. Twenty-five percent food sustainability as we have reported in the past is well under the actual number. Much of the food that is gathered on the island goes straight into our bellies without being recorded. We are taking steps to change this including initiating weekly meetings with the kitchens and supplying all the kitchens with the neccessary tools to weigh and record their food but it will take time to change habits.
Energy
The partnership we are forming with True Offsets could prove to be a monumental leap forward for our energy production capabilities and allow us to really think big. Nothing has been finalized yet so I can’t reveal too many details but if you can picture scuba diving facilities and a radio broadcasting station then you aren’t too far off the mark.
We are also looking at installing new energy monitoring hardware from theenergydetective.com that will help us to show how much power we are generating, how much we are using and how much excess we have that we can utilize.
Waste
Vanua Levu and Fiji in general for that matter are terrible as far as recycling goes. We are continuously looking for new ways to divert our waste from the landfill by finding creative uses for it. We are also in the process of restructuring our waste collection system to make it easier for tribemembers and for the kitchen to properly dispose of their waste. Unfortunately this has had to take a back seat as we press to get the spillway finished before the rainy season makes work above the waterfall too difficult.
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Tribewanted: Sustainable Development Report
Snorkeling around Vorovoro / Photo by Ben Keene
Our vision of the future is dependent upon our understanding of the past. We have to this point largely ignored the fact that we will never be able to separate ourselves from our environment and that any destruction we cause to it is a senseless act of self destruction. As we come together to turn our vison of a sustainable tomorrow into a reality we must remember that this means more than exchanging coal power plants for wind turbines.
So, how have we been doing this on the island of Vorovoro recently…
Community & Consciousness
Physical resources are only one part of what we as humans beings need. The greatest challenge of our time will be to protect and adapt the wisdom of the ethnosphere to our modern way of life. To live in harmony and in balance with our environment we must first come to know our place within it. We must know where we have come from to know where we are, and where we are going. If we are to reclaim our place as stewards of the planet and gain the knowledge necessary to start the regeneration of the crumbling ecosphere we must never stop asking ourselves, what does it mean to be human and what is our responsibility to those with whom we share this planet?
Water
Safety has come up a few times during our exploration of the land above the waterfall. Safety for the plants – are we destroying a unique habitat? Safety for the land – could our activities contribute to erosion and destroy the waterfall? Safety to people and animals – could the reservoir prove dangerous and how high can we build this thing without risking the stone breaking under the pressure?
As we have gone about answering these questions it has reminded me that we are guests here. Not just in the sense that we are leasing this land, but rather in the sense that our time here is short. This project if done properly could be here for hundreds of years. It can always be taken down, but if left alone, the new habitat that we are creating will last far beyond all of our lives. The Fijians know this. They live this realization everyday and it is a great comfort to be working on this project with them, and with their blessings. How can you plan for a future that you can’t see? Can we ever really know what the consequences of our actions will be? The best we can do is act upon the knowledge and information that we have at the time and never stop asking why? or what if? Thanks to everyone for raising your concerns and questions. It has made this project more complete, better defined and surely has a better chance of success because of you. If this new resevior can store enough water to keep the gardens growing year round, and If nobody gets hurt in the process, I will consider it a success.
Last week we started by clearing a trail up to the basin. We learned an interesting story from the Fijians. There is a lava tube on the ridge above the basin and according to local legend, the spirit gaurd of Vanua Levu lives there. The story goes that disguised as a shark, he swam out of the sea, turned into a man, walked down the beach, turned into a dog, ran up the hill and now lives on Vorovoro. I am still trying to learn his name as I think it would be appropriate to name the reservior after him.
Food
The seasons here are changing and we are clearing more land and expanding the gardens. Yesterday, Leavi, Sophie and I planted corn. The Native Americans planted what they called The Three Sisters: Beans to grow up the corn stalks and squash to cover the ground, keeping down the weeds.
It has also become apparent that our food statistics are way off the mark. Twenty-five percent food sustainability as we have reported in the past is well under the actual number. Much of the food that is gathered on the island goes straight into our bellies without being recorded. We are taking steps to change this including initiating weekly meetings with the kitchens and supplying all the kitchens with the neccessary tools to weigh and record their food but it will take time to change habits.
Energy
The partnership we are forming with True Offsets could prove to be a monumental leap forward for our energy production capabilities and allow us to really think big. Nothing has been finalized yet so I can’t reveal too many details but if you can picture scuba diving facilities and a radio broadcasting station then you aren’t too far off the mark.
We are also looking at installing new energy monitoring hardware from theenergydetective.com that will help us to show how much power we are generating, how much we are using and how much excess we have that we can utilize.
Waste
Vanua Levu and Fiji in general for that matter are terrible as far as recycling goes. We are continuously looking for new ways to divert our waste from the landfill by finding creative uses for it. We are also in the process of restructuring our waste collection system to make it easier for tribemembers and for the kitchen to properly dispose of their waste. Unfortunately this has had to take a back seat as we press to get the spillway finished before the rainy season makes work above the waterfall too difficult.
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