Upon receiving the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, I did a quick google search of the country, since I knew little about it other than where it was located on a map. Costa Rica’s sustainable efforts instantly caught my eye, particularly their effort to be the first carbon neutral country by 2021. The country has taken drastic steps to obtain this goal, which include major investments in renewable energy sources like hydroelectric plants, wind turbines, and recently, geothermal energy. As a result, the country is now powered almost solely upon renewable resources, with less than 2% of their energy resulting from fossil fuels as of mid-2018. Costa Rica also aims to ban all single-use plastics in 2021 as well, to further build upon its sustainable reputation.

Due to the initiatives of the government, the coffee and banana industries in Costa Rica have taken on the task of incorporating sustainable practices. This effort includes reducing water usage, pesticides, monitoring the waste water released in the environment, and promoting biodiversity on farms. Another sustainable initiative that was particularly interesting is reduction of the coffee supply chain. The goal is to keep as much of the production at farm level to increase the farmers’ incomes, as well as quality of the product. This method reduces energy as well, by avoiding transportation of the coffee beans to the various locations in the supply chain.

Gathering information on Costa Rica’s sustainable initiatives has made me even more excited to explore the country over the next couple of weeks. I am excited to not only see the beauty of the country firsthand but also to witness the methods Ticos have employed to preserve it. I appreciate the progressive outlook that the country appears to have about protecting our planet. As a Chemical Engineering student, sustainability and the environment are becoming crucial components in this field to produce long-term solutions to problems. For this reason, I am interested to see how businesses are becoming more sustainable, especially in large industries like coffee and bananas. Also, this will also be my first time traveling outside of the US, so I am very excited to be exposed to a new culture and lifestyle on this trip!

See you soon, Costa Rica!