Today was really interesting because we got to see both the benefits and challenges that come with Costa Rica’s focus on renewable energy and sustainability. Seeing all the wind turbines in person made Costa Rica’s environmental goals feel way more real to me. I thought it was interesting learning that Costa Rica started focusing heavily on renewable energy back in the late 1970s and now gets around 99% of its energy from renewable sources. At the same time though, I also realized renewable energy is not as simple as just putting up turbines and solving everything. Not all of the turbines were running when we visited because they only use them when needed to help supplement energy loss. It showed how renewable energy can sometimes be inconsistent and dependent on weather conditions like wind and water levels.

At the same time, I still think the benefits heavily outweigh the negatives. Renewable energy is obviously much better for the environment long term and reduces dependence on fossil fuels. I also thought Costa Rica’s system was interesting because they diversify their energy sources instead of depending on just one. If water levels are low, they can rely more on wind or geothermal energy instead. I think that flexibility is a huge reason why Costa Rica has been so successful with renewable energy compared to a lot of other countries.

I also noticed a similar theme of diversification at Café Monteverde. Originally the cooperative focused mainly on coffee and dairy, but over time they expanded into education and tourism too. Now they roast coffee, run educational programs like Life Monteverde, and offer coffee tours to visitors. I honestly think that is really smart because businesses here seem to understand that relying on only one source of income can be risky. The coffee tours and educational programs create extra revenue while also teaching people about sustainability and low-impact farming practices.

One thing that stood out to me during the tour was how intentional they were about reducing waste and using everything they could. They talked about composting, using charcoal from coffee wood to help the soil, and focusing on sustainability throughout the whole process. At the same time though, sustainable practices also seem way more labor intensive and expensive. They mentioned having to pay fair wages to coffee pickers to keep workers coming back, which raises costs compared to larger companies focused more on mass production. Overall, today made me realize sustainability is not perfect or easy, but Costa Rica has done a really good job finding ways to balance environmental responsibility with business and long-term growth.