¡Pura vida! I am Tyler Pietreanu, a Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics double major at the College of Business Administration. I have just finished my first year at Pitt and am looking forward to my first study abroad experience. At Pitt, I have been involved in the League of Emerging Analytics Professionals, Pittsburgh Management Consulting, Panther Equity, Pitt Ski and Snowboard Club, and look to find even more clubs and organizations next semester. I enjoy playing/watching soccer and am working toward a minor in Spanish, both impactful reasons for my excitement in selecting Costa Rica as my Plus3 destination.
Despite not having landed in Costa Rica yet, it is abundantly clear that it is a country with a mission to support its environment and ecosystems. Costa Rica has had a clear legislative focus on sustainable practices over the past few decades with environmental regulations like the Wildlife Conservation Act (1998) and the Organic Law of the Environment (1995). Furthermore, their commitment is undeniable as they are dedicated to being a carbon-neutral country by 2050, already having 98% of its electricity coming from renewable sources. The country’s evident practices, laws, and plans are incredibly impressive and innovative, showing the world that it is possible to derive electricity from less damaging sources, maintain a diverse ecosystem, and support sustainable practices on a national scale.
Altogether, these initiatives play directly into the environment affecting the tropical agriculture that I will interact with on my trip–coffee, strawberries, cacao, and bananas. I am extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity to go to a Latin American country for the first time, explore the language I am passionate about learning, understand a local supply chain and the surrounding environmental initiatives, and experience a new culture with my peers.
