Immediately after hearing about Costa Rica’s sustainability efforts, it gives me respect for the country, because that is something that is very easily overlooked. It makes the country seem progressive, and it is quite impressive that “Costa Rica produces nearly 93 percent of its electricity from renewable resources”, according to “Essential Costa Rica”.
One way that Costa Rica is sustainable is that the government banned single-use plastics. They also have established protected areas to protect the natural resources of the country, which helps maintain the biodiversity. I would assume keeping the biodiversity also helps with the production of things we will be studying like coffee, bananas, and agriculture. I also found that when producing things like coffee, Costa Rica has tried to turn waste products, such as coffee pulp, into compost instead of just throwing it away.
Overall, Costa Rica has made a huge effort to respect its natural land, and try and reduce waste in production of food. It is definitely a sustainable country and hopefully other countries will begin to follow suit so that we can help reduce climate change.
Hm. Why am I excited to go to Costa Rica? That’s an easy one. I cant wait to experience the culture there, meet new people, try authentic foods, and learn about the supply chain and sustainability efforts. Now that I know how much work the country puts into sustainability, I am curious as to how hard it is to maintain these “rules” to reduce waste and limit plastic use. If it seems so easy, why can’t all countries be doing this? I want to see the inside of this food chain and see what really happens on the farms. Also I am sick of this rainy weather (even though I know it rains every afternoon there), but at least I will have (hopefully) sunny mornings. I am not a morning person but I told myself that while I am there, I will be attending morning yoga sessions and will be watching the sunrise.
Sources:
