Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Well, I have been back home for just over 3 weeks and have been lucky enough to have a beautiful initiation of warm sunshine and autumnal freshness…the initial couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement, catching up with everyone and eating delicious treats that England’s full of…I am still loving waking up to muesli with a sprinkling of strawberries, cold milk and fresh salads with olives and houmous! However, now the ‘holiday’ period of being back is fizzling out and I am back to reality, I keep having glimpses of my old life and little tiny sparkles of the island and know how blessed I was to have such an amazing lifestyle. Living back in a normal, brick house with concrete walls, I completely appreciate the times when I woke up to the sea air breezing through my bure, the expanse of the sea and the smiley, happy faces and the calls of yadra sia when I entered the kitchen each morning…

Yes, the island is a very special and unique place but it’s also been an amazing platform for me to reflect and put my learning into practise this side of the world! Although on the island, I was determined once I got back to my ‘normal’ lifestyle to only buy organic produce, never put anything in the microwave again and avoid plastic as much as possible, reality and living expenses has already made it harder than I thought. However, I am completely motivated to try and do as much as possible and still have the eco bags under my arms when I go out shopping, looking into every environmentally friendly product available and only buying things if I really need them. (Ooh yes, I’m still holding out with the flip flops!)

The island’s sustainability forums taught me to research into everything and never take things at face value…I am loving having the chance (and fast internet connection!) to research into ethical goods, organic locally grown food, fair trade, environmentally friendly clothing companies as well as looking out for the BUAV animal approval and the soil association stamp. I’ve even been looking for compost to put down the flush toilet and saving every tiny scrap of paper to recycle :)

I might have grown into a Fruitopia green bean but I’m secretly loving it and have also taken a part of Vorovoro’s Vale ni kuro home with me. I am definitely missing our tasty, tropical island salads especially the coconut and pawpaw creations but it’s inspired me to make my own bread and pasta at home as well as make the most of what’s in season and growing around us. There are lots of delicious, sweet blackberries on the hedgerows at the moment as well as yummy pears and apples. Ooh and it’s pumpkin season! I just can’t wait now to get a little allotment so I can grow my own veg, throw in a compost pile, add a couple of chickens and start the mulching going…

Anyway, now that I have had time to properly look into it, there are l o a d s of amazing websites, companies and products available to help us keep our farmers happy, protect our planet and make the world a better place :)

Here are a few to get you excited!
These listed are mainly UK companies but there are also plenty of international ones out there too…

Search engines and consumer guides:
http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk : organic and all things green
http://www.ethicalconsumer.org : an alternative consumer guide
http://www.ethical-company-organisation.org : the latest ethical research
http://www.hippyshopper.com : ethical consumer guide
http://www.allthingsgreen.net : the green marketplace
Green inspiration:
http://www.dothegreenthing.com : 7 moves to lead a greener life!
Health and beauty:
http://www.greenpeople.co.uk : Organic skin and natural hair care
https://www.lush.co.uk completely veggie and not tested on animals! Jenny boo, I know you have your thumbs up!
http://www.ecorium.co.uk : natural skin care products
http://www.faithinnature.co.uk : amazing natural beauty products
http://www.burtsbees.co.uk : natural goodness, great for the island and Kaz’s firm favourite! Also check out http://www.burtsbees.com
Food:
http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk : little, healthy tasty drinks
http://www.soilassociation.org : promoting organic farming, food security, better school food, opposing genetic modification (GM), antibiotics and pesticides.
NGO’s:
http://www.foe.co.uk : the largest international network of environmental groups
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk : independently certified to meet international fair trade standards
http://www.fsc.org : established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
Clothing:
http://peopletree.co.uk : a fancy, fashion website
http://www.naturalcollection.com/category/fashion a collection of eco, organic and fairly trade
Or even better, shop in cool, charity shops! Bring Labasa home and remember those ‘Bargain box’ days…
http://www.wow-wow.co.uk : Energy saving products and sustainable materials.
Stationary:
www.remarkable.co.uk : if you want a Pupu pencil case made from recycled, car tyres then this is the site!

and of course, http://www.ecotricity.co.uk : the greenest ecotricity company in the UK and definitely has our October chief’s approval :)

...a n d if you want to bring the island onto your table and celebrate in Fiji food goodness :
http://www.tribewanted.com/page/recipes

BUT if websites aren’t enough and you are feeling a little chilly, get to Vorovoro hey presto and start an amazing discussion with Chuck our Sustainability Manager, be inspired by the island’s ongoing eco projects and be involved in the fascinating forums…

Good luck researching and please add any yummy findings too!