A mystical vibe has always accompanied Costa Rica in my mind. This is due to the country’s environmental sustainability initiatives being years ahead of most other countries. I envision lush, thick greenery kept beautiful, looking practically untouched, because of the country’s forward-thinking environmental practices. I am excited to be immersed in the country of Costa Rica and to learn more about the programs that are responsible for placing them on the leaderboard for sustainability. 

            While researching Costa Rica, it is evident that the country’s multiple initiatives and pledges have gotten it to the state of environmental sustainability that it currently enjoys. Two different areas of environmental sustainability that Costa Rica is pursuing that I found interesting in my research are (1) preserving the land and wildlife associated it, and (2) its push towards cleaner energy. I found the latter fascinating because it is something I constantly hear about being pursued in the United States, but the steps taken by Costa Rica in this area are clearly showing much better results. Costa Rica has focused on making their electricity as carbon-neutral as possible. They have looked towards other energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal methods to power their country. Costa Rica has also made it a primary goal to preserve and replenish the rainforest throughout their country. They have made great progress in this realm, as is evident by the fact that thirty percent of the rain forests in Costa Rica are not natural reserves. They have passed laws to preserve biodiversity in the region, such as legislation abolishing recreational hunting passed in 2012. While agriculture, coffee, and bananas do not directly appear in the initiatives I personally researched into, they indirectly are benefitted do to the preservation of the land it is grown in.

            I am so excited to go to Costa Rica and see the benefits of their sustainability first hand. I am also intrigued to see the parallels between it and the United States. This will help me better understand why Costa Rica is so ahead of the United States in terms of sustainability. I can’t wait to learn about all Costa Rica has to offer!