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Print articleBen Keene, co-founder of Tribewanted, commented:
"We've leap-frogged the industrial revolution here on Vorovoro and gone straight from coconut trees to wind turbines. It's an important and symbolic moment for this 21st century tribe and for our island friends in Northern Fiji who, like us, hope that we will start to see the quieter, cheaper and cleaner benefits of green energy over noisy generators.
"Ecotricity are leading the way to a newer energy existence on the British Isles and have now empowered another island on the other side of the world."
Dale Vince, MD of Ecotricity, said:
"While most of the rest of the world toys with 20 or 30% - Fiji have set the world's most ambitious target for the use of renewable energy - 90% by 2010. That's exactly the kind of approach we need if we're going to beat Climate Change. And Tribewanted are setting the pace. With the micro generation we've been able to supply them, Tribewanted have achieved their own independence in energy through 100% use of renewable energy - it doesn't get much better than that."
Tui Mali, the Fijian Chief and island owner, commented as he switched the power on a laptop:
"We now have everything we need in Vorovoro. The sun and the wind will help us just as the rain waters us. Vinaka! [thank you]"
Tribewanted was started in 2006 and aims to build a thriving local and global (online) community. Anyone can join the tribe with three levels of membership: Nomad, Hunter, and Worrior. Each level of membership entitles you to visit the island for a set number of days.
The idea was dreamed up by friends Ben Keene and Mark James who wanted to "bring travellers to build a sustainable community in partnership with local people. A community that people could visit and participate in; a community that would not destroy its surrounding environment but look for ways to blend with it; and a community that would become a focus for a global network of discussions about how to protect our planet, have adventures and more dreams."
So far the global tribe stands at 1,234 members.
