World Ocean's Day 9th June 2014

Yesterday here in Vava'u we celebrated World Ocean's Day. The event was co-ordinated by VEPA  and Endangered Encounters and sponsored by many of the local businesses in town as well as a large number of volunteers collecting rubbish underwater and along the shoreline.

Marine pollution and marine debris are 2 of the many  issues that are oceans are facing, rubbish thrown both directly into the water as well as rubbish blowing in from the shoreline here our creating issues to our marine environment.

Our poster was made by kids at the Vava'u Public Library Fun Day.

Volunteer diver bringing up tyres.

Hanite working hard.

Lisa and Kat sorting rubbish.

ANZ Bank volunteers.

No clean up should be carried out without a specialist BBQ chef.

Rubbish placed in trees is removed by Brian and Tracy

 We would like to thank all of the volunteers that gave their time to help with the event, both in cleaning up and also making it fun.

Sponsors of the event provided sausages, gloves, rubbish bags, water, tents and all the essentials to make these event successful. Below is a list of sponsors:

Endangered Encounters, Riki Tiki Tours, VEPA, Beluga Diving, ANZ Bank, Seventh Heaven, Pafilio Tangitau Store, Mounu Island Resort, Teisa and Kalolo, Coconut Car Rentals, Trouble in Paradies, Vava'u Shipwrights, Seahorse Power, GIO Recycling, WestPac Bank.

2011 sucess

2011 has been a very successful year for VEPA. Through funding from both Canada Fund and the US State department, we have made great progress on our waste management and recycling project. Keep Vava'u Green also sponsored bins to the domestic airport. Thank you to all those that were a part of these projects.

Through clean ups and recycling days in communities to placing waste and recycling bins around town, we are already seeing a good difference in the cleanliness of certain areas. There is still much to be done.

Great news already for 2012, is that VEPA will be getting an Aus Aid Volunteer to help us. We can not wait for her arrival and to introduce her to the efforts of VEPA.

So from all the board, we would like to whole heatedly thank everyone that has helped us this year, we are looking forward to more successes in 2012.

May you all have a great and safe New Years Eve and here is to furthering conservation around the world in 2012.

Marine Jourdren talks about her VEPA Experience....

My experience with VEPA was too short, but fruitful.  Lots of very interesting projects  are being run currently, but I guess I just showed up at the wrong moment! Indeed, not only that the majority of the board members were away at that moment, but also that the attribution of an important subvention was refused, and that  braked the momentum of the water project when I arrived.

However, it was really great to work with Ane, VEPA’s part-time employee. She showed and explained to me what they were working on about the rubbish treatment, it was interesting to work with her and she’s such a nice person. I realized what a big challenge it is to raise awareness and try to implement a rubbish treatment system there. But more and more schools seem to be implicated, so that’s a very good hope for the next years when these generations will grow up.

Thanks to Karen, I went diving to do a reef survey under VEPA’s flag. With my buddy we stayed apart from the tourist divers group, and obviously we missed a shark and a turtle! Anyway, it was already amazing for me to dive there, as it was my first dive on a reef. I was literally fascniated by all the fishes that I saw there although they are supposed to be very common! The data we collected was to be sent on a specific website that aims to collect such information.

With Ane, we worked together to reorganize the website a bit, to make the information accessible more easily and more obvious. I had more knowledge about the website stuff, and she had more knowledge about the organization, so all in all we made a good combination!

It’s not the first time that I worked with an environmental organization, however it’s always frustrating to see that there often a problem of means even if there  is so much will. So hopefully they will find the funds to go on with their projects, as they could be really good impact for the whole community in Vava’u if successful. And successful they will be for sure!


Many thanks to Marine for joining the team for a short period, we look forward to keeping in touch and wishing her every success for the future.


Malo Marine

The First Recycling Bins

On Monday the 27th of June, we have installed the first three recycling bins in the 'Utukalongalu market. Karen's staff from dive Vava'u also put up good signs to make them visible. It is going quite well after a short period of time, people have started to use it.

The total cost for the 3 cages was TOP900, they are strong and robust.

There is a big concern about the market area, because there is a more rubbish being thrown around and there is a need to stop people from dropping litter. Hopefully these recycling bins will help us in minimizing the littering and pollution.

If this project is successful, we are planning to buy more bins and place them on more stations in town and other villages.

'I he 'aho Monite 17 'o Sune, na'e fokotu'u ai e ngaahi fuofua lisaikolo pini fo'ou 'e tolu 'i he 'Utukalongalu maketi. Na'e hanga foki 'e he kau ngaue 'a Karen mei he dive Vava'u 'o fokotu'u moha ngaahi faka'ilonga lelei mo mahino ki he mahino'i 'e he kakai, pea 'oku 'i ai foki 'a e fakalakalaka ke kamata ke ngaue'aki 'e he kakai 'a e ngaahi lisaikolo pini ko eni.

Ko e ngaahi lisaikolo pini foki ko eni 'oku fefeka 'aupito mo tolonga 'a ia ko honau mahu'inga na'e fe'unga faka-katoa moe pa'anga 'e 900.

'Oku 'i ai foki 'a e tokanga lahi ki he feitu'u 'Utukalongalu maketi, koe'uhi koe fakaveve noa'ia ko ia 'a e kakai, 'a ia 'oku 'i ai 'a e fiema'u ke ta'ofi kinautolu mei he fakaveve noa'ia. 'Oku 'i ai foki 'a e 'amanaki 'e tokoni lahi 'a e ngaahi lisaikolo pini ko eni ki hono fakasi'isi'i 'a e laku veve noa'ia pea pehe ki hono 'uliki hotau 'atakai.

'I he lava lelei ko ia 'a e poloseki ko 'eni, 'e 'i ai leva mo e ngaahi palani ke toe 'omai mo ha ngaahi lisaikolo pini fo'ou ki he ngaahi feitu'u loto kolo pea pehe foki ki he ngaahi kolo kehe.

Volunteers

VEPA relies on generous people that donate their time to our causes and projects. We hate for them to go unmentioned. So we would like to thank the following

Stephanie Lowrance (Peace Corps)
Sean Kois (Peace Corps)
Dominica (Peace Corps)

Christy Butterfield (Melinda Sea Adventures)
Savannah (Coconet Cafe)

Isistolo Tangitau (Dive Vava'u)
Mailangi Vea (Dive Vava'u)
Salia Falekakala (Dive Vava'u).
There is also one more but he wishes to remain nameless.

Yes you guessed right my staff have no choice, the difference is they love doing the VEPA work, but even more they enjoy seeing their photos posted over the web. So, here are the pictures I have managed to get of some of the volunteers. Malo'aupito to everyone for their help.

Project Update - Recycling and Waste

The "Making Vava'u a Refuge from Waste" has been an on going project since our large clean up in October. Villages from the North side of Vava'u Lahi continue their own recycling and clean up projects with the back up and support of the team from VEPA.
The TV airing of the clean up has continued to inspire many others to join in and though this project has completed its initial stage, we continue in our work and efforts to educate, assist and support the local communities to set up their own recycling and waste management systems.
Again we would like to thank Canada Fund for their support of our project as well as all our local sponsors who donated time, drinks, flour sacks and boats for the clean up project.
Local sponsors include
Pafilio Tangitau and Sons
Marnis Barge
Melinda Sea Adventures
Issy Baker
Dive Vava'u
Hakula Lodge
JM Store
Digicel
Tropicana Cafe
GIO Recycling

'Utungake Coastal Clean Up