Over the course of our trip to Costa Rica, my understanding of renewable energy and green infrastructure has expanded far beyond what I could have learned in a classroom. As a finance and business analytics major with a minor in economics, I came into this experience thinking mostly about the financial side of sustainability-costs, investments,…

Today we went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Monteverde Institute. In the Cloud Forest, we hiked on the Heart of the Forest trail, seeing wildlife unique to this terrain. We learned about the distinctions between a cloud forest and a rain forest and about the sustainability efforts the reserve has been implementing….

Today, we ended our time in La Fortuna and journeyed to Monteverde. On the way, we stopped at a wind farm, with wind mills as far as the eye can see. Afterward, we went on another coffee tour, where we learned about their low impact efforts. Finally, we did a night hike at our hotel….

Today we attended a marketing lecture and had time to ourselves for lunch, exploring the local restaurants in La Fortuna. Some of the girls went to a great place where I got chicken nuggets and fries (comfort food)! After, we went to an adorable bakery where I got a pistachio macaron and a chocolate donut…

Our first full day in La Fortuna included hanging bridges, kayaking, sugar cane, and lots of rain. While it was all incredibly fun, I can see how a country dependent on tourism might struggle during its rainy seasons. However, I believe there are different ways to manage this challenge. There are large amounts of people…

Today, we said goodbye to our host families and left Heredia. On our journey to La Fortuna, we went on a pineapple tour and swam in the La Fortuna Waterfall. Comparing the farm to the tourist traps we’ve been to, differences are very clear. In the hot weather, with rough terrain and wind blowing, it…

I feel like I won a golden ticket with our visits today. Today we took a chocolate tour, went to a farm-to-table restaurant, and heard a lecture on medical devices, one of Costa Rica’s biggest exports. Out of everything we’ve seen so far, the chocolate tour was by far my favorite. That says a lot…

For the academic portion of our day, we toured Cafe Britt. Later, we will take dance lessons and attend a soccer game, further immersing ourselves into Costa Rican culture. Cafe Britt was a great start to this busy day. The land is made to replicate a full ecosystem and the staff was incredibly friendly. They…

Today was our first full day in Costa Rica. We started out strong with our strawberry tour, volcano visit, and the waterfall gardens that were so incredible we didn’t have enough time to go to Doka. All three locations use their land to foster community, keep culture alive, and protect the environment. La Paz was…

Based solely on our pre-departure meetings, it’s clear Costa Rica has a substantial dedication to sustainability. The country seems very focused on their footprint and how manmade things affect their land and their people. While they may be small, managing to get an entire country to work with the environment in mind is very impressive….