Over the past few years, Costa Rica has consistently ranked in the top 20 of the World Energy Council’s Environmental Sustainability ranking. In 2021, it ranked as #4 in energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability in Latin America. This commitment to sustainability is reflected in Costa Rica’s environment and energy sources; 93% of Costa Rica’s energy is generated from renewable resources, and 53% of Costa Rica has forest cover. In addition, Costa Rica is responsible for only 0.02% of global emissions. In addition to these successes, the country of Costa Rica continues to make progress towards a more sustainable future. Plans are in place to decarbonize the economy and have a net of zero emissions by 2050, including the reduction of transportation emissions and increasing sustainability in agriculture.

Costa Rica has Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to reduce unsustainable practices. One that is particularly applicable to agriculture is the NAMA Café de Costa Rica. This NAMA works to make coffee production more sustainable and healthier for the environment (referred to as “low carbon coffee”). In addition to keeping inventories of water use and greenhouse gas emissions, the NAMA Café team provides coffee mills and producers with workshops to increase awareness of agricultural practices’ sustainable implications. For example, coffee producers often use nitrogen fertilizers that emit nitrogen oxide and hurt the environment. To improve the environmental sustainability of coffee growth, coffee producers limit their fertilizer use and perform soil analyses to avoid using unnecessary products. Such changes provide benefits for both the environment and the coffee producers, as they reduce economic waste.

This commitment to environmental sustainability is very impressive, especially from an engineering perspective. Engineers work to improve the sustainability of resources, of societal health and safety, of finances, and of the environment. The concept of sustainability is particularly emphasized in the Swanson School of Engineering, as first-year students write research papers about engineering projects’ contribution to sustainability. Costa Rica’s work in agriculture and environmental stewardship is a leading example of how sustainable practices can help business thrive; commitment to environmental sustainability in agriculture contributes to businesses’ economic sustainability. While I look forward to learning more about engineering and business applications in Costa Rica’s agriculture industry, I am most excited to explore Costa Rica’s culture. I love learning about other cultures, and I’m really excited to practice and improve my Spanish. I have also heard a lot about the food and the variety of fruits in Costa Rica, and I can’t wait to experience it all in May!