The theme I was focusing on for this particular class was sustainability and tourism but, over the course of the spring semester I felt I was developing a sense of awareness I did not have before. Throughout various activities I was able to put forth an effort to understand the issues at hand. I clearly remember attending the film screening of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. As a business student I thought this was going to be one of those really graphic films about the meat industry whose propaganda aimed to turn consumers completely against meat consumption, but that was not the case. I was able to see that the meat industry plays a huge role on carbon emissions and as consumers, who eat meat, this was our direct fault.
I had spent the entire semester attempting to reduce my carbon foot print. I walked to class, rode with friends, tried to drive as little as possible. What I failed to do though was limit my beef consumption. This does not mean I eat meat everyday so let me explain. As a Mexican American, I grew up around “carnes asadas” or how we call them in the states cook outs. In this gatherings the meal consists of chicken and steaks, both of which leave a huge carbon foot print. Overtime I would get together with my family, we would have these cook outs and buy an insane amount of food to share with the entire neighborhood. The weekend after watching Conspiracy, I had to go home and the reality of my family’s actions stuck me hard. The things I was giving up meant nothing compared the carbon emissions from the meat I was eating on the weekends I went home. Study shows red meat dwarfs others for environmental impact on the world, using 28 times more land and 11 times water for pork or chicken and in some regions even more than these two combined. Another study in regards to British people’s diets was conducted by University of Oxford scientists and found that meat-rich diets – defined as more than 100g per day – resulted in 7.2kg of carbon dioxide emissions (Carrington 1). When I encountered this facts I could not believe how unaware and uninformed I had let myself be and how I needed to say something in attempts to counteract the damage I had already done. I took it upon myself to talk to my parents and have them understand the impact they were having on the environment. Prof Mark Sutton, at the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: ‘“The US and Europe alike are using so much of their land in highly inefficient livestock farming systems, while so much good quality cropland is being used to grow animal feeds rather than human food.”’ Agriculture is a significant driver of global warming and has been found to cause 15% of all emissions, half of which are from livestock. Furthermore, the huge amounts of grain and water needed to raise this cattle is a concern to experts worried about feeding an extra 2 billion people as estimated by the year 2050.
Pura Vida!
Andrea Sleeping
Our trip to Costa Rica was one for the books. The trip began with drivers getting lost, flights being delayed and thus, us missing our original flight to paradise. Personally, I took the time to sleep and realized that a bed can be found anywhere you fall asleep.
Universidad EARTH
I think that the entire group handled the hurdles along the way in a very graceful way. I never heard anyone complain. Our first day in Costa Rica was originally supposed to be spent on the grounds of a Costa Rican university learning about bananas and the procedures they used to grow them sustainably. On the in bus tour of the banana plantation we learned that the bananas grown on Earth University’s grounds were the bananas being sold in Whole Foods. I was not the only person who sis not know this, which made me feel little bit better, but I think that the fact that people do not know where their food comes from is worrisome.
When we arrived to Earth University, I was completely drained from traveling all day, but I was ready to begin the adventure. The following day in the morning we were treated by a very energetic and friendly man. Adrian was going to be our tour guide for the week and give us a crash course on the country’s history, present issues and future plans. According to Adrian’s words, Costa Rica intends to become the first carbon-neutral nation by nurturing its forests. We were able to see this in the demos students at EARTH University gave us and the efforts their professors and governmental leaders were putting into making reforestation. Adrian also mentioned how the Costa Rican government is developing plans to begin offsetting all of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. Through personal research I was able to learn that the news service La Nación reported on February 21the Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles saying “Costa Rica aims to reach this goal using budgeting, laws, and incentives, including measures to promote biofuels, hybrid vehicles, and clean energy”. Another key component of the national strategy will be a “C-Neutral” label to certify that tourism and certain industrial practices mitigate all of the carbon dioxide they emit.
This was a point I was happily surprised by. Taking into consideration some of the information we read about throughout the semester in class, Costa Rica is a country that is being largely benefiting by the tourism sector. This sector is known in other parts of the world as the sector that produces money, but not one that raises awareness. Costa Rica’s attempt to shape the tourism industry in a tool for social justice and the preservation of endangered species and the forest was beautiful considering how much the country is known for its vacation destinations.
Chocolate at La Tirimbina
All of the places we visited as well as the hotels we stayed in all had a story and contributed to the mission of the country. Every singe one of these places wanted to preserve something they valued within their community. La Tirimbina Biological Preserve was the place were we were able to do the chocolate tour. This was one off my favorite places. I really enjoyed the bridge within the facilities as well as the hiking option on the trails in their property. Being able learn about hoe chocolate is made and how it is grown helped me better understand and appreciate more the little things we often forget about (like the entire chocolate bar I ate before getting on the plane because I needed some sugar).
Rancho Margot was phenomenal. It was incredible to hear testimony of the staff about how much the surroundings had changed from when they first started out, where the land had been used for livestock, and the change that had occurred after sustainable practices were implemented. Hearing Jose talk about hoe fast the forest had recovered and the diversity of plants, animals and insects they had in that 100% sustainable eco lodge blew my mind. The amount of beauty in this place was unreal. I had never been in place that created soap from the animal fat the raised, which they used to cook, and whose waste (methane) was used to cook.
I was super impressed.”La Fortuna” is Spanish for “The Fortune”, and is the name of a small city in San Carlos. This area is very well known among tourist. Along the streets in this city you will find luxury resorts and hotels that accommodate guests who want that experience. This was not the place where I saw the most eco-friendly sites, but I think that in regions like this one, that are so heavily influenced by outsiders, it makes sense that things would look different. While were were zip lining, I began thinking, if this is the price the country has to pay to finance their goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral nation, then I would pay it.
Andersen, Kip, and Keegan Kuhn. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. , 2014.
“Carbon Neutrality in Costa Rica.” Anywhere Costa Rica. Anywhere Inc, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
“Carbon Neutral Vacations to Costa Rica.” My Costa Rica. My Costa Rica, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
Carrington, Damian. “Giving up Beef Will Reduce Carbon Footprint More than Cars, Says Expert.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 21 July 2014. Web. 22 May 2016.
“Chocolate Tour.” Tirimbina. Tirimbina Biological Preserve, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
“La Fortuna Costa Rica.” Arenalnet. Arenalnet, 2015. Web. 2016. http://www.arenal.net/la-fortuna-costa-rica.htm
“Produced by Us.” EARTH University. Tierra Tropical Journal, 2016. Web. 2016. https://www.earth.ac.cr/en/about-earth/earth-facts/
“Production.” Rancho Margot. Rancho Margot (rhg), 2016. Web. 2016. http://ranchomargot.com/education/sustainable-living-immersion/
Manuel Antonio Park. “Manuel Antonio Park.” Manuel Antonio Park. N.p., n.d. Web.
23 May 2016. <http://manuelantoniopark.com>.