I have been living in Costa Rica for two weeks now and it is safe to say that I absolutely love it here. From my host family, to the culture, to the food it's been hard to find anything that I haven't liked. Since getting off the plane, I have also noticed so many things about the Tico's lifestyles that are very green and eco friendly that I'd like to share with you all.
The first thing I noticed is almost everywhere I go, the trash receptacles are sorted out by trash, types of recyclables, and compost. Whether it's on my school's campus, at city parks, or pop-up tents downtown for events, they really have have the system nailed down.
Composting is also a regular thing amongst the Tico's households. In my house, my mamática has bins for paper, trash, and compost. She uses the compost in her own garden where she grows tons of succulents, vegetables, and spices. Our family doesn't have a need for a recycle bin as we don't produce much waste that needs it (i.e. plastic or aluminum containers).
Our family uses a clothesline when it comes to drying laundry. Despite it being the rainy season here (meaning it most definitely rains everyday), my mamática has a system down where our clothes can still dry. Early morning they are put out on the line in the sun and then before the afternoon storms can come, they are brought underneath our roofed patio to continue drying on another line.
Around the house, my housemate and I try to turn on the lights as little as possible and use minimal water. This means shorter showers, turning off the faucet while washing dishes, opening our curtains to use natural light, and remembering to turn off lights when we leave rooms. We do this not only to be greener, but in respect to our host family to save them money on water and electricity bills.
One other thing I've noticed is that on every hike I've been on so far, I have noticed many signs that say things along the lines of "Please carry out your trash" or "Collect your trash" along the trails. There might not be the Leave No Trace Organization out here, but Tico's still seem pretty serious about not littering in nature.
After doing some research on the sustainability of Costa Rica, I learned that on certain scales it is considered to be the second most sustainable county in the world, next only to Switzerland [source]. On this same scale, the United States falls in comparison, landing in spot number 87. One of Costa Rica's past presidents, Laura Chinchilla, passed legislature to try and make Costa Rica completely coal neutral by the year 2021, making it the very first country to do so. 75.9% of this country's power comes from hydroelectric followed by 17.7% from other renewable resources such as wind.
Being in this beautiful green country has inspired me so much and I can't wait to bring more posts to you guys. Until then, Pura Vida!!
XX, Erin