Manuel Antonio!

On Tuesday, May 27, 2008 we left for a two day trip to the Manuel Antonio beach. On the way, the driver stopped at a local river where we were able to see crocodiles!!! (the first four pictures). At the time they didn't seem aggresive, however I was perfectly fine viewing them from a distance. Then, we returned back to the bus and headed toward the beach. When we arrived we got unpacked and headed for the sand. The last picture is from the hotel balcony of the beautiful ocean. The food was great because it actually tasted like American food due to the fact that we were at a "hot spot" marketed for tourists. However, the best part of the trip was the warm ocean and bringing back the old school game of...jackpot. After everyone left to go back to the hotel to get clean, Rob and I had a different idea. We decided to take an adventure over to some of the coast line rocks. There we saw close to 40 crabs, and I don't think I have ever seen that many in my life. Overall, it was a great few days!

Eco-Tourism: A Closer Look!

After watching, The 11th Hour, I have realized how vital it is as a human species that we take responsibility for our actions and promote the growth of our planet over the promotion of the economy. In other words, our species can survive without an economy, but it can’t survive without our planet. The wonderful thing is that ecotourism in Costa Rica has been able to combine the two. Not only are they preserving essential forests, but they are using them to boast their economy with little side effects.

Speaking of deforestation, I feel it is important to discuss how significant this issue is in our world today. Deforestation is growing at an exponential amount and if we don’t take a stance now it will be too late. How are reserves, such as Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, beneficial to our ecosystem? Well, we are losing biodiversity, they not only create homes for many different animals and plants, but they are also the source of different medicines. In addition, forests are vital aspect to complete the environmental cycle. Trees are able to absorb CO2 emissions that we as a human species are emitting. Two other critical purposes of forests are to control flooding and erosion, without them, both could become serious problems.

I tell you the effects of deforestation to stress the importance of these forests and wildlife for our very existence. Without them, we would live a life where natural resources are even limited than they are now until we reached a breaking point. A surface look at Monteverde forest and you see beautiful Mother Nature, however if you take a step back, you can see that it is truly a key aspect to our survival. At the rate that the human population is growing, more forests must be kept safe from deforestation, before it is too late.

While at Monteverde, I was interested in what the “locals” thought of all of the tourists. The reply from the man who worked there was that he loved the tourists because they were the ones that were allowing him to put food on the table for his family. It seemed like a win-win situation. I was enjoying the culture of Costa Rica and he was able to feed and care for his family. However, he said that many Ticos that don’t work in the tourist industry can become very irritated by tourists due to the fact that they increase traffic and don’t speak Spanish. There are always going to be positives and negatives to every situation because nothing is perfect. Nevertheless, the eco-tourism industry is a fundamental sustaining industry for the world’s eco-system.

Banana Business: Good or Bad?

Well, that’s a hard question. To answer let’s look at it from the point of view from the text, Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management. One of the main themes in the novel is the discussion of maximizing shareholder value by increasing financial performance, environmental performance, and social justice performance.

1. Financial Performance: Well, overall the banana business is doing well in the financial aspect of this model. Bananas have been one of Costa Rica’s number one exporters for years. Today, it is still very profitable, which would allow us to assume that banana business is good. However, we must look at the other two objectives in order to come to a conclusion about whether or not the banana business is good or bad?

2. Environmental Performance: There are numerous environmental standards set by the government to help protect the ecosystem from the banana business. One example would be Art. No. 13, which states that waste shall not be burned. Solid waste which is demonstrably unfit for collection or recycling, shall be deposited in sanitary landfills. According to the text, Cradle to Cradle, it is a positive motion that they are banning the burning of waste due to the fact that it could emit powerful chemicals into the environment, which would be harmful to humans, animals, plants, and the ozone. However, they are directly saying that it is ok to deposit their waste into sanitary landfills. That is unacceptable. The waste that they are going to leave in the landfill is not going to decompose and be beneficial to the earth, and therefore the harmful chemicals are just going to stay there. Would you consider this a good business plan, harming our own Earth where there aren’t unlimited resources?

3. Social Justice Performance: The final aspect of the model discusses social justice. As I have stated before, social justice is the concept of fairness and equity in dealing with workers, local communities, and people in other countries. Well, how is the banana business handling this objective? Today, thousands of workers were exposed to harmful chemicals in order to “effectively” produce bananas. I would say that isn’t the best treatment of your employees. Also, the business only offers three month contracts, in order to rotate employees. I don’t believe this is a good business plan because your workers aren’t going to work at their highest potential if they have a fear of losing their job at any moment. Another point that must be made is that the workers often face sexual harassment and violence. Again, they aren’t creating a safe work environment. The final point that I would like to make is that the workers are often paid below the legal minimum wage, which doesn’t push the workers to be the best. Would you consider this a good business plan?

Overall, would you consider Costa Rica’s current banana business, a good one or bad one? From this information, I hope that the banana business takes a new look at where they are heading and what kind of business they want to be.

Information from: http://members.tripod.com/foro_emaus/ni5.html

Fair Trade!

What is fair trade coffee? Fair trade is a movement that promotes the alleviation of the global poverty level and sustainability. How? Well, it sets regulations on the price, social, and environmental standards of coffee from developing nations to developed nations.
An example of a fair trade coffee organization in Costa Rica is Coocafé. They are a small organization and therefore need to promote the strength of small farmers, to ensure their sustainability, due to the fact that the market is so large. Only a little over half of their production is going to fair trade, which, over ten years has brought $7 million in income out of $40 million.

Why is fair trade coffee a good thing? According to the text, Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management, there are three objectives that must be met in order to maximize shareholder value; financial performance, environmental performance, and social justice performance. I’m going to explain how fair trade is meeting these requirements.

1. Financial Performance: A key advantage is that companies can use the difference in the fair trade market price and conventional market price to help the business. For example, they can use that to help their producers. Since most of their producers are small farmers, they need to help them financially to ensure sustainability. Without those small farmers, Costa Rica wouldn’t produce enough coffee. Also, this will allow for the companies to withstand times of hardship, such as high production and low sales.

2. Environmental Performance: Another key advantage is that companies can use that same difference in price to help the environment. For example, Coocafé had donated $3.5 million over the past ten years to help with the sustainability of our environment. That money has been used for organic coffee production, reforestation, development of hydro-electric programs and coffee dryers, etc.

3. Social Justice Performance: The first two were straight forward, but what is social justice? Well, according to the text, it refers to concepts of fairness and equity in dealing with workers, local communities, and people in other countries. 5% of Costa Rica’s labor force is employed by a coffee organization, which is a good amount of people. So, how are companies, like Coocafé, helping build this aspect of the triangle? Well, they are not only promoting a good work environment for the employees, but also education. This, not only has a direct effect on their employees, but also the larger effect on the community.

I predict that fair trade coffee will continue to grow only if they keep meeting these expectations and continuing to push their limits.

Information from: http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/cooperatives.html

Monteverde!!!

After visiting the waterfall, we had to hike all the way back up, which was a good workout! We then went to lunch at the hotel. After lunch, we went on a hike around Arenal Volcano. The coolest part of the hike was that we got to see volcanic rock from the last eruption, more than 40 years ago. After the long hike, we went back to the hotel to rest for the night. The next morning (Sunday, May 25, 2008) we left for Monteverde. To get there we had to travel by boat across the Arenal Lake and then drive the rest of the way. When getting to Monteverde, we got checked into the hotel, ate lunch, and then had a break before canopying. The zip-lining through the cloud forest (in the rain!) has been one of the best experiences on the trip. Not only was it gorgeous, but it also got your heart beat going a little bit. I'm sorry, I was unable to take any pictures because I was afraid of getting my camera wet or breaking it. My favorite (and scariest) line was called the Tarzan Swing, where you were literally attached to a rope and pushed of a 50-75 foot cliff and we able to swing back and forth! All of the lines were great because you were zipping across large valleys and couldn’t even see across because of the clouds (Monteverde is a cloud forest)! After the canopying we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. That night we went to a local pizza shop, which was delicious. Also, we were able to celebrate Rob’s twentieth birthday! After getting back to the hotel, we went on a tour of the Monteverde forest at night. My favorite part was the part where the guide pointed out some bats to us (I had never seen a bat before)! After getting soaking wet from the tour, we went back to the hotel to dry off. After that most of us ended up staying up late playing Mafia, which was a lot of fun! The next morning (Monday, May 26, 2008) we went on the same tour as the night before, to see different animals. Now, I can see why Monteverde is one of the number one eco-tourism spots in Costa Rica, because of its beautiful and natural environment! Overall, it was an awesome weekend!

Waterfall!!!

After visiting the hydro-electric plant, we all went to a horse stable (which I was unable to take any pictures of due to the fact I did not want to break my camera). From there we rode horses up this trail to get to the waterfall. It was my first time ever riding a horse and it was fun! After about half an hour we reached our destination and dropped off the horses. From there we had to walk down (a good distance) to get to the waterfall. It was gorgeous (all of the pictures above)! Even though the water was freezing, we jumped in and went swimming. After this trip (and seeing the waterfall), I definitely know why Costa Rica is one of the highest grossing eco-tourism countries in the world.

Hydro-Electric Plant

The following morning (Saturday, May 24, 2008) we were able to visit a hydro-electric plant. First, we saw the dam and the beautiful scenery of Costa Rica (the first two pictures). Then, we drove down to the plant to see how the electricity is produced (the last three pictures). The water that is built up from the dam is transported through two different tubes and then enters the plant. The water, which has a lot of built up energy, is then used to run a turbine, which then produces electricity. After the water is used it is then filtered out of the plant and into a creek. Besides the fact the dam alters the environment, hydro-electric power is one of the most sustaining ways to produce energy. This is because the water is not being used up and wasted, but is pumped back outside and is able to continue an endless cycle.

Hot Springs!

Well, this weekend was an adventure to say the least. We started on Friday, May 23, 2008 by traveling to this small town to see Arenal Volcano. Below, you can see various pictures of the volcano. After getting settled into the hotel we went to the hot springs! There we were able to get in the water, which was around 105 degrees. It was a beautiful place, as you can tell by the first picture above. Also, we went down one of the craziest slides that I have ever gone down. I literally got air going down it! Finally, some of the members of the group wanted to get into the hottest spring they had, which was close to 120 degrees (the fourth picture above)! And after I saw some of the girls get in, I knew that I had to do it too. So, Rob & I sucked it up and were able to sit in it for a few minutes (the second & third picture above). Wow, was it hot! Next, we had a delicious dinner and then went back to the hotel to get some rest.

Arenal Volcano!!!

The History!

Today, bananas are one of the largest revenue generators of Costa Rica. Well, how did it come to be that way? It all started in the year 1878 when banana planting and cultivation began. An interesting fact is that Costa Rica was the first Central America nation to begin this process. In the early 1900's the United Fruit Company, founded by Minor Keith, became and established banana plantation. At that time, Costa Rica was the number one producer of bananas in the world. However, in the year 1934 a strike occured resulting in the shut down of banana production in Costa Rica. The production began again when equal wages were given to all workers. In the 1950's another company stepped in to fulfill the demand for bananas, and that was the Standard Fruit Company. They began production in 1956 and began exporting in '59. However, it was also shut down in 1985 due to a 72-day strike. They were able to bounce back but were condemned in 1992 due to pollution. According to a main theme in Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management, is it more important to make the right choice, but endore more costs in the short-run and large rewards in the long-run or the wrong choice to make a quick dollar and face the consequences when they come? For the Standard Fruit Company, they made a wrong choice and were effected by that in the long-run. However, they bounced back again. Today, BANDECO (Del Monte) and the Standard Fruit Company (Dole) are the leading exporters of Costa Rican bananas.

How are bananas prepared? Well, first the plantations use incecticides to protect their product. Then the large bunches are cut off the stalk, placed on a large belt to transport them to other labors to sort. Then they are washed and then placed into boxes for shipment. Now, there are two sustainabile issues that must be addressed. First, the bags that are used for shipment have incecticide in them and are usually disposed of into the sea. Not only are these chemicals spreading through the water, but many turtles are also choking on these bags mistaking them as jellyfish. The second point is that the fertilizers that have many different chemicals in them are being washed out to sea. This has a direct effect on coral reefs, as many are dying. Again, we must ask ourself this question while thinking of the seventh generation ahead of us, is it worth destroying our planet in order to make a short-run profit or should we be making environmentally sound decisions and be thinking of the long-run?

Information from: http://www.kostaryka.org/banany2489/

Ecotourism! & Cafe Britt!

What is ecotourism? Ecotourism is the travel to areas of natural resources to better understand the ecosystem, culture, and history. Costa Rica is the leading country in Latin America for ecotourism. This is because they are able to use their resources to their advantage. Not only do they have beautiful beaches, but they also have active volcanoes, rain forests, and wildlife.

Tourism brings approximately one million visitors to the country and about one billion in revenue. With that being said, almost 50% of all visitors are from the United States. Why are Americans attracted to Costa Rica. Well, a few reasons are biodiversity, location, safety & stability, and higher standard of living, just to name a few. Biodiversity is a term that refers to the incredible range of environments. Costa Rica offers volcanoes, mountains, beaches, and rainforests all in a country the size of West Virginia. Location is key. Costa Rica's proximity compared to America gives it a huge advantage over many eastern countries. Even though Costa Rica doesn't have an army, it is still a relatively safe environment because no one is attacking the country. Also, the low crime rates are a major persuasive point for tourists. The final point was higher standard of living which is another selling point for tourists. Since, Costa Rica aboilshed it's military it has been able to devote more money to higher education. As a result, Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in Latin America.

Many benefits can occur becauce of ecotourism. The first is that it can provide financial rewards to the parks. Some of the income brought in from the tourists can go directly back to them to help building up the park. Another, benefit is that it would promote private conservation efforts which would open up more jobs and therefore allowing the economy & GDP to grow. The final benefit is that for the most part it is economically friendly. A major point to take away is that ecotourism took the place of different industries that could have been far more harming to the environment such as polluting factories.

On the other hand, you must look at the negatives that are involved with ecotourism. One of the major costs is that it creates visitor overcapacity. This can be a problem because the tourists can harm the surrounding environments such as the plants and animals. The second major negative that you must look at is the issue of profit versus protection. If the parks become to consumed in profit and forget their responsibily to protect the wildlife it could be costly. A possible reason that this could occur is that the park isn't receiving enough funding or has poor management.

Information from: http://www.american.edu/TED/costa-rica-tourism.htm

It is very exciting that I was actually apart of Costa Rica's ecotourism today!!! We visited Cafe Britt coffee plantation. It was different than visiting Del Cafe Tal because it wasn't a family owned organization. Cafe Britt treated us just like tourists. As shown in the pictures above we had tour guides directing us through the plantation. In the second picture, we were shown how the harvestors pick the berries of the plants and then place them into the bucket around their waste. In the third picture, we were shown what a coffee bean looks like and how to recognize a "good" one. If the berry is still green, then it isn't ready. However, if the berry is red, then it is considered a "good" one. Finally, if the berry is black, then it has died and has no value. In the fourth picture, the tour guide is showing us how the bean are prepared and then packaged to be shipped around the world. The final picture examplifies the tourism aspect of the day. The guides started by showing us how to prepare a cup of coffee followed by a short skit of the history of coffee. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Del Cafe Tal!!!

Well, we ended up not going to Montecristo, but instead we went to a family owned coffee plantation named Del Cafe Tal. It was wonderful experience to see how coffee is produced and prepared. In the first picture, you can see a beautiful shot taken just before we got to the plantation. The next picture shows all of the coffee plants lined up in rows. It was very interesting to see that the coffee bean is actually inside of a red pulp, and that all of the workers must first remove the bean from the plant and then the red pulp. The next picture is of a machine that they use to help prepare the beans, and then they must lay them out to dry out on the tables shown in the fourth picture. The final picture is of me standing in the coffee field after I had picked my own coffee bean. After our trip to the Del Cafe Tal plantation, which was high in the mountains (to allow the beans to aquire a more acidic flavor), we rode on the bus back to the town. There the family owned business has their own coffee shop for the locals. After going inside, the owner showed us a roaster that they use for preperation of the bean. El cafe fue excellente!!!

The entire process of how coffee is prepared is very interesting. The actual coffee bean that is picked is inside of a berry. The berry most be washed off in order to receive the bean. For a period of time the pulp was deposited into rivers, but in order to become more sustainable the Costa Rican government put a stop to it through environmental laws. Now, the pulp is returned back to the fields and used as a fertilizer. This is an excellent example of waste = food from Cradle to Cradle. Then there is another layer of skin on the bean that must be rubbed off and then the bean is ready. Next, the beans must be roasted using machines. However, the traditional way was to let them dry out in the sun.

I also wanted to add some Costa Rican coffee recipes that I fould interesting:

Caribbean (hot) 8 servings
1 coconut 2 cups milk 4 cups strong coffee 1 tablespoon sugar
Punch two holes in to coconut, pour liquid into saucepan
Bake coconut for 30 minutes at 300 F degrees
Break open coconut, remove meat, and grate.
Mix coconut meat, coconut liquid, and milk in a sauce pan
Heat over low heat until creamy.
Strain
Toast grated coconut under broiler
Mix milk mixture, coffee, and sugar
Pour into mugs, garnish with toasted coconut.

Grog (hot) 6 servings
3 cups coffee 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons softened butter 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Peel of one large orange, broken into 6 pieces Peel of one large lemon, broken into 6 pieces
Place one piece of each peel into cups
Mix butter, sugar, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon
Mix coffee and cream
Pour both mixtures into cups and stir.

Overall, it was a great experience to come to Costa Rica and see not only how coffee is produced and other sustainable issues along with it, but also to taste the wonderful coffee!

The History!

In order to truly know the importance of coffee today, then we must look to the past. Therefore, I felt that it was important to take note of the value that coffee has had on Costa Rica. Coffee came to Costa Rica in the 1770’s. Coffee production didn't begin until 1779 in the Meseta Central. This area was perfect because of the climate and soil. It was a slow process for coffee to become a dominate industry in Costa Rica, but it was bound to happen. Even though coffee isn't the largest Costa Rican export today (compared to bananas, textiles, and microchips), it is important to know that it once was during the 1800's. This was because at that time transportation of exports took a long period of time and coffee being a nonperishable good allowed Costa Rica to export more coffee. Coffee was one of the first goods to change the Costa Rican economy. It went from a small economy to that of growth and commercialization. From the 1840's to WWII the British were the number one purchaser of Costa Rican coffee. However, today the United States are the number one importer of Costa Rican coffee.

Something interesting to take note of coffee exportation is that coffee is a plantation crop and their income is affected by price fluctuations. This severely hurt the Costa Rican economy in the 1980's. In order to recover, Costa Rica teamed up with other Latin American countries to initiate a plan. Now, their coffee is sold in installments to insure price stability. It is also interesting that in 1994 Costa Rica diminished the tax on export coffee.

Information from: http://www.infocostarica.com/business/eco_coffee.html

Veritas University!

Here are some pictures of Veritas University. The university is less than a mile away from my host family's home which is good because Rob and I have to walk there every morning. The first picture is of me stand out front of the university followed by a picture of the entrance to the school. The next picture is of a study area inside of the university and yes that is inside! The final picture is of the cafeteria where we eat lunch everyday.

Cinde!

The first picture is of a business that we visited on Monday called Cinde. Cinde is a private, non-profit organization that promotes foreign direct investment (FDI). Cinde is not part of the Costa Rican government, actually according to Dr. Adelman, Cinde is self-sustaining due to a large donation from the United States many years ago. Some of the companies that Cinde has helped integrate into the Costa Rican economy include; Intel, Procter & Gamble, Baxter Healthcare, and many more. For more information about Cinde visit cinde.org. The next picture is of me standing outside of the Cinde building. The final picture is of Rob and me finishing dinner in our host family's dinning room!

Pictures of My Home Family!

The first picture is of my host family's house followed by a picture of their front door. As you can notice there are metal bars around the home. Many of the buildings in San Jose have these bars to help protect it from intruders. The next picture is of me in my room the first night I got there. It is very nice and clean. The final picture is of Rob and me with our host mom. She has shown us nothing but love. She knows a good amount of english which is good because I don't know much Spanish. She is very patient when trying to communicate and is willing to try and figure out what I'm saying. Also, she is a wonderful cook!

First Day in San Jose!

Hello everyone! Here is a little information about my first day in Costa Rica. I got home late the first night and met my home stay family. They are all super friendly and helpful. There is madre who is the sweetest mom you would ever meet and she can cook! She knows a good amount of english which is really good because wow I totally forget all my spanish (not good)! However, they are all really patient and nice about it. Madre told me that her husband passed away two years ago but she seems to be doing ok. She has four children, three boys (27, 20, and 4) and one girl who is 9. They also have two other costa ricans who live in the house. There are also 5 students who live with us, Mark from South Carolina, Eric from Maine, Dan from Florida, Rob and me. Luckily with all those people we all pretty much have our own room! The house is actually like 2 houses with a courtyard in between and they also have a dog named Lilly. I slept OK last night but it was really easy to wake up with the bright sunshine filling my room and the birds chirping, I don't think I have ever heard birds chirp that loud. Then madre made us ham sandwiches for breakfast at 730 in the morning. Then we went to the university where we got our ids followed by an all day tour of San Jose. We rode a charter bus most of the day and walked a little bit. Most of the buildings where under 2 stories and bars on the windows. The most exciting part was that we got to drive past the president of Costa Rica's house. Then we walked through the park. You know how Cincinnati has pigs all over downtown, well Costa Rica has cows. They were really cool and usually funny. Then we went back to the university and we were done for the day so me and rob decided to walk to the market to get some bottled water and snacks. However, we didn't know it was going to pour the rain! I've never seen it rain so hard. When we finally got home Madre hung our clothes up to dry and we just chilled at the house till dinner. For dinner we had chicken burritos. They were delicious! For the rest of the night we just spent time with our host family talking and having a great time! I know realize what culture shock truly means. I've never been stared at or looking at differently walking down the street until today, but I wouldn't change anything. I appreciate this experience and will remember this day for the rest of my life.