Page 39 - Fiji Traveller Issue 1
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creative consultant to national tourism organisations in Marshall   conversation happening. The tourists have the vehicle to really
       Islands,  Nauru  and  Federated  States  of  Micronesia,  teaching   actively participate in sustainable products [and], by buying from
       community members to make jewellery and artefacts from PET   the women, they are putting cash directly into the pocket of the
       plastic bottles.                                     community,” said Marlow.
         Locally, one of the most meaningful projects has been working   “It enhances the guest experience, empowers the women’s
       with the Solomon Islands Community at Wailoku. “We conducted   livelihoods and the community at large because it’s a flow-on
       training  to  create  seedling  raisers  from  waste  plastic  and   effect, and the hotel gets to mitigate its waste streams all in one
       introduced composting techniques to bolster interest in organic   simple program,” he added.
       farming. At the same time, we conducted jewellery classes from   Marlow thinks there is room for the tourism industry to do
       waste plastic bottles for the mothers,” Marlow said.  much better in terms of supporting local artists and craftspeople.
         “It was in partnership with the British Council and Save the   “You  know,  I  cut  my  teeth  professionally  in  large  quantities
       Children Fund. It was the first training where tools and materials   for hotel developments in Fiji, because I thought it was really
       were gifted to the participants, so it was very meaningful for all   important  that  Fiji  tourism  have  Fiji  artefacts  as  part  of  the
       concerned,” he added.                                cultural package. I think it’s a terrible blow to the quality of the
         He has projects in Koro Island in the pipeline and wants to visit   guest experience that when they get to Fiji, saving for years and
       other parts of Fiji to share his creative talent.    spending thousands of dollars, and when they get here, their
         Working with plastic began at the suggestion of his mother,   rooms are decked out in Indonesian artwork,” Marlow continued.
       who had watched him using a soldering iron to carve styrofoam.  “I mean, don’t come up to us three months before your hotel
         “She was sitting there one day and was wondering what I was   is opening and say we need 800 pieces of artwork, because
       going to do with all the plastic bottles and a pair of scissors. Then   we  can’t  deliver.  But  if  we  are  brought  into  the  process  early
       she asked me about the machine I used to carve styrofoam, so   on… we could be creating the artwork while the hotel is being
       we brought it and started testing it. My brother came up with the   constructed,” Marlow explains.
       original range of plastic wear and it proved to be really popular,”   He says given enough time, resources and respect, artists can
       Marlow continued.                                    get the job done.
         Warwick said his brother, Craig, moved on other artwork, but   “There’s got to be a meaningful space where everyone can
       he continued in the medium.                          come together, Fiji Tourism, as the self-appointed arbiters of our
                                                            national image, you know they should be in the conversation,
         Art and tourism                                    the hotel developers, Fiji Arts Council, and wherever possible,
         Marlow says living in Suva has meant he has been able to   we should be sourcing these artworks from native materials from
       survive  as  an  artist  due  to  expatriate  clients,  “looking  to  take   local landowning units,” he said.
       something back home”.                                  Now truly a mentor to craftspeople and artists, Marlow’s
         He  says  the  challenge  for  young  people  is  to  find  new   advice to young people following in his path: “Originality is key;
       economic niches and income streams.                  being able to come up with fresh ideas that are relevant to the
         The trash to cash idea can very well be a solution for an   issues of the times.
       industry that generates a lot of waste. “The large-scale hotels   “Young  people  [also]  need  to  be  mindful  that  respect  is
       in Fiji are producing a massive scale of waste, especially in the   everything in this world, and if you want to be heard, you need to
       forms of wine bottles and water bottles. Luckily, we have ways   be prepared to listen. A teacher who has forgotten how to learn
       to mitigate that.                                    is no use to anyone. Be positive and make your life count for
         “At the moment, I’m in talks with a major hotel operator to   something meaningful in the lives of others.”
       set up a system where the trash streams are made available
       to the land-owning units, and they turn those into sustainable   Look out for jewellery and objects made from plastic bottles by
       products.”                                           women taught by Warwick at smaller resorts around Fiji.
         He  continues:  “This  is  a  way  to  get  the  environmental













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