To someone who has never visited, the country of Costa Rica may appear to be a simple nation of beautiful flowers and tasty fruit. However, Costa Rica is much more than a tourist’s paradise. The country’s impressive sustainability initiatives provide its citizens with a safe and green place to live and serves as a great example to other nations on what it means to protect the environment.

I have had the amazing opportunity to visit Costa Rica once before, however, after some research I have learned just how successful their sustainability initiatives truly are. One initiative which sticks out to me is the saving of forests and oceans. Currently about 30% of Costa Rica’s forests are nature reserves, a tremendous difference from the United States which only has only about 7% of its forests considered as reserves. Costa Rica also created Seamounts Marine Management Area which is a marine protected area larger than Yellowstone National Park. Another one of the country’s important sustainability initiatives involves green energy. Costa Rica’s electricity is largely carbon neutral due to the large investments in wind and solar power as well as hydropower and abundant geothermal power. With its incredible push towards sustainability, Costa Rica has taken a huge step in proving just how important it is to  protect our planet.

Costa Rica’s sustainability is not the only reason to visit, however. What I am personally most excited about is the opportunity to explore different parts of the country and learn about the country’s unique culture. I was incredibly limited on my exploration the last time I visited, so the freedom to explore and absorb all I can about the Tico’s culture is very intriguing.