The Fiji Occasions » A inexperienced warrior – Epeli’s love for the atmosphere

A loyal champion for the atmosphere for a few years and a well-known face locally, Epeli Lalagavesi is a inexperienced warrior.

Initially from Wainika in Cakaudrove, Vanualevu, the 24-year-old enjoys the little issues in life and finds pleasure in volunteering and serving to folks.

“My labours of affection embody volunteering, crusing, stand-up paddling and biking, to call a couple of,” he says.

“I used to be and nonetheless am obsessed with working as a pupil buddy on the College of the South Pacific incapacity useful resource centre from 2018-2020.”

Lalagavesi says this has helped him to be inclusive and settle for range.

“I additionally get to witness firsthand the struggles individuals with disabilities face,particularly in attempting to realize training at any stage, not solely right here in Fiji however throughout the Pacific as I labored with regional college students.

“I’m additionally obsessed with environmental safety and ocean stewardship.”

Lalagavesi acknowledges the affect and position that the late Captain Jonathan Smith performed in his life..

“Because the passing away of Uto ni Yalo skipper Captain Jonathan Smith, I see there are massive footwear to fill.

“He taught us the significance of the atmosphere and the Moana as it’s essential not solely to our survival however as an integral a part of us folks of Oceania.”

An undergraduate from the College of the South Pacific (USP) in journalism and linguistics, Lalagavesi says he began volunteering and doing advocacy work at 16.

“I needed to do a vacation job, however then I used to be too younger to work so I joined small organisations equivalent to Purple Cross, Youth Champs for Psychological Well being, Uto ni Yalo Belief and Alliance for Future Era.

“The expertise has been humbling and also you get to witness life from totally different views.

“Sooner or later, I wish to work with college students with disabilities.”

Lalagavesi says he’s at present engaged on a few initiatives and hopes folks will be a part of him on this initiative to scale back garbage within the atmosphere. “I’m at present doing an journey with a goal.

“As an avid adventurer, I like to see nature however then at all times get mad at how these locations are filling up with trash, so anyplace I’m going I attempt to choose up trash whether or not I’m mountaineering or going out to sea.

“I’m additionally collaborating within the most cancers stand-up paddle (SUP) problem and hoping to go the additional mile and choose up rubbish as I SUP.”

Lalagavesi is an enormous believer that respect is earned and everybody ought to study to scale back, reuse and recycle as a lot as they will.

“I reside by Ben Ryan’s phrases from his e-book ‘Sevens Heaven’ which is “The usual you stroll previous is the usual you develop into”.