Hi! My name is Ainsley MacIsaac and I am traveling to Costa Rica in the Pitt Plus3 Study Abroad Program. I cannot wait to experience first-hand the supply chain and business industries that reside in Costa Rica. Although this nation is small, Costa Rica is a leader in sustainability initiatives as its terrain is filled with rainforests, mountains, and ecological treasures. They are only behind a much larger country, Switzerland, in their “green” ranking. A renown presence in sustainability efforts makes Costa Rica appear progressive and aware since citizens are actively addressing this issue and want to preserve the environment, economy and culture for the future. Some of their main goals regarding sustainability include ecotourism,
Costa Rica is a popular vacation destination due to the variety of landscapes that this nation offers. The country introduced a sustainability program for tourism called the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST). This program rates companies on a five-point scale based on how well the business interacts with the environment and the culture at large. CST makes sustainability measurable and tangible so that organizations take it seriously and strive to make their business practices ecofriendly. This program has helped with the allocation of natural resources, incentivized entrepreneurs, and brought sustainability into many local communities.
Another prominent sustainability initiative is renewable energy usage. The country is minimally powered by burning fossil fuels; instead, they use volcanoes, water, sun and wind as sources of energy. This initiative is backed by building many hydroelectric plants, wind turbine plants, and more. Using renewable energy resources lowers the pollution from the emission of greenhouse gasses.
Lastly, Costa Rica also emphasizes minimizing/eliminating usage of plastic products. They want to ban all plastic products with one-time use by 2021. This includes bags, cups, straws, bottles and more. An initiative like this helps keep their beaches clean and attractive to tourists.
I am so excited to go to Costa Rica and experience all it has to offer. From the new culture to a different language, I am looking forward to immersing myself and making the most out of my time in this country. Most importantly, I cannot wait to drink a lot of coffee and eat too much gallo pinto! Hasta la vista!