The plus3 Costa Rica trip is coming to an end and my understanding of renewable energy and green infrastructure has changed a lot. Before this trip, I mostly thought about sustainability in a simple way: solar panels, wind turbines, recycling, and trying to be environmentally friendly. After seeing Costa Rica in person, I realized that…

Today made me realize that limiting tourism in a place like Monteverde is a necessary tradeoff. While walking through the Sendero Corazón del Bosque, the forest felt protected in a way that was very intentional. Like Hosay mentioned, in the past there was more scope to explore, but with a growing emphasis on sustainability, some…

Today’s visit to Café Monteverde made renewable energy feel less like a random idea and more like something that affects real businesses. Coffee production depends on a lot of resources: land, water, transportation, roasting equipment, and electricity. Today I was on group one and we learned about their roasting process. They use a greenhouse to…

AMA is interesting because it shows that there are two sides inside ecotourism. On one side, it is a super fun business selling adventure activities (best activity of the trip). People are paying for excitement, views, and an experience in nature. On the other side, that money helps fund conservation and reforestation of the surrounding…

Today made the wet season feel very real because the rain affected almost everything we did. Walking through the rainforest canopy on the hanging bridges was wetter, muddier, and a little more slippery, but it also made the forest feel more alive. The rain brought out the sound of water, the smell of the trees,…

I think the younger generation is more interested in tourism than farming because tourism probably feels more flexible, modern, and financially rewarding. Farming is hard physical work, and it depends on things people cannot fully control, like weather, crop prices, pests, and global demand. Tourism, on the other hand, can turn the same land into…

Today’s visits made me realize that a good business does not only have to be about making the most money possible. It can still make a profit while also thinking about people and the environment. Sibö stood out to me the most because the founders could have stayed in normal, established careers, but instead spent…

One moment from my homestay that I did not expect was how comfortable my host family seemed with silence. During meals, I felt pressure to keep the conversation going because in the U.S., silence can feel awkward or like the conversation is failing. Here, it did not feel that way. My host mom (Maria) would…