Hi everyone! My name is Mia, and I am a freshman electrical engineering student. I am so excited to go to Costa Rica because I love traveling to new countries. This will be my first time outside of the United States without my family, and I can’t wait to experience a new place with other Pitt students. I am also really excited to meet my homestay family and learn more about their culture and lifestyle!

I am passionate about using sustainable practices, so as an outsider who has never been to Costa Rica, its initiatives in sustainability make it sound super appealing! I believe that a lot of countries are not focusing on sustainability as much as they should, so I think Costa Rica’s initiatives make it seem more progressive. I imagine that Costa Rica is very ecological, and I picture the beautiful cloud forests and waterfalls that I have heard so much about.

After doing a quick internet search for “Costa Rica sustainability,” I surprisingly did not see any mention of tropical agriculture, coffee, or bananas. However, I did find two of their major initiatives. The first is the “Pay as You Throw” program, which requires all residents of Costa Rica to pay a certain fee based on the weight of their trash. This has greatly increased the amount of garbage that is recycled, as the more you recycle, the lower the fee. The second initiative is that students in Costa Rica are required to take sustainability courses from elementary school through college. This promotes awareness of the environmental issues that are both in Costa Rica and the rest of the world.

Reading about Costa Rica has made me even more eager to travel there. I can’t wait to explore the country, and I hope to learn more about their sustainable practices!