What You Can Do

Shorefast Foundation

What You Can Do

Our mission is to build cultural and economic resilience on Fogo Island and to serve community well-being by sharing place-based models of economic development.

Sweetheart Puppy Table from Fogo Island Workshops, designed by Nick Herder

Sweetheart Puppy Table

1 / 7
left
right

Social Purchasing

Shorefast believes that with every purchase we make, we should ask ourselves a question: where does the money go? In knowing the answer to this question, we can start to understand the lives and communities affected by our decision. The purchasing power of individuals drives economies, and it is up to each and every one of us to ensure we are the most responsible drivers we can be. 

When purchasing goods and services for our own projects, we follow strict procurement guidelines that are respectful of people and planet while maximizing for local benefit. We start by seeking local, Fogo Island suppliers. If a product or service is not available locally, or cannot be made locally, we then move to our closest communities in Newfoundland & Labrador. From there, our search moves on to other suppliers in Canada, then North America, our traditional international trading partners such as Spain and Portugal, followed by the rest of the world. Every possible effort is made to avoid making purchases from jurisdictions that do not abide by basic environmental protection laws and labour standards.

Social Purchasing

Shorefast believes that with every purchase we make, we should ask ourselves a question: where does the money go? In knowing the answer to this question, we can start to understand the lives and communities affected by our decision. The purchasing power of individuals drives economies, and it is up to each and every one of us to ensure we are the most responsible drivers we can be. 

When purchasing goods and services for our own projects, we follow strict procurement guidelines that are respectful of people and planet while maximizing for local benefit. We start by seeking local, Fogo Island suppliers. If a product or service is not available locally, or cannot be made locally, we then move to our closest communities in Newfoundland & Labrador. From there, our search moves on to other suppliers in Canada, then North America, our traditional international trading partners such as Spain and Portugal, followed by the rest of the world. Every possible effort is made to avoid making purchases from jurisdictions that do not abide by basic environmental protection laws and labour standards.

Punt Chair from Fogo Island Workshops with ECONOMIC NUTRITION certification mark

Punt Chair

1 / 7
left
right

ECONOMIC NUTRITION Certification Mark

Shorefast developed the idea of ECONOMIC NUTRITIONCM as a means to help increase buyer awareness of the economic impact of their purchasing decisions while also spotlighting seller accountability. Modelled after the food labels we are all accustomed to reading, our ECONOMIC NUTRITION certification mark simply shows how much of the purchase price of any particular item goes towards production processes including labour, materials, or operations. We also show the geographical impact of the purchase by noting which places benefit most significantly from the purchase.

We employ the ECONOMIC NUTRITION certification mark for items in the Fogo Island Workshops and for a stay at Fogo Island Inn. Because our businesses are social businesses, this mark shows that surplus earnings go back to Shorefast. And because we optimize for maximum economic benefit for Fogo Island in everything we do, the certification mark shows that the majority of the price paid for an item made by the Woodshop or time spent at the Inn stays on Fogo Island, right where it belongs.

ECONOMIC NUTRITION Certification Mark

Shorefast developed the idea of ECONOMIC NUTRITIONCM as a means to help increase buyer awareness of the economic impact of their purchasing decisions while also spotlighting seller accountability. Modelled after the food labels we are all accustomed to reading, our ECONOMIC NUTRITION certification mark simply shows how much of the purchase price of any particular item goes towards production processes including labour, materials, or operations. We also show the geographical impact of the purchase by noting which places benefit most significantly from the purchase.

We employ the ECONOMIC NUTRITION certification mark for items in the Fogo Island Workshops and for a stay at Fogo Island Inn. Because our businesses are social businesses, this mark shows that surplus earnings go back to Shorefast. And because we optimize for maximum economic benefit for Fogo Island in everything we do, the certification mark shows that the majority of the price paid for an item made by the Woodshop or time spent at the Inn stays on Fogo Island, right where it belongs.