Robert VanCleve

Last post

2008-06-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Aight, so today was the last planned day, and soon I will be back on my way to the states. Overall, I've had a sweet time here and learned about the different industries that make Costa Rica successful. I've been able to research and witness how tourism, coffee, and bananas are key for this economy.

There've been various aspects of the culture that I'll never forget. The odd peculiar meals for breakfeast, Madre who says "ahhhhhhh" all the time, rice and beans for every meal, hanging out with my housemate Marty, and the wildlife/experiences. My favorite thing we did was the whitewater rafting. Not only did I get to see the nature and swim in the canyons- but I did it all while plunging into the rapids. I also really liked our class. Learning about sustainability and the importance of Green Business changed what I thought was important. I don't know if I'd consider myself a treehugger or anything... but I'm definately closer than when I first came on this trip.

Today we got to go to this place (la pez?) that wrapped up the trip perfectly. Seeing colorful birds, snakes, bugs, monkees, and butterflies made a sweet biodiversity experience. On top of that was an excellent lunch with some delicious Costa Rican pineapple, and some really good rice pudding. We also took a long walk, seeing 3 incredible waterfalls. Before all this, we went to a volcano that was more of a poison-gas seeping hole. We were extremely lucky, as when we walked up the clouds cleared and we got to see it perfectly. Other people who were there had been waiting 2 hours for the clouds to clear. On the way back home I fell asleep like I usually do on the bus rides and awoke to Marty asleep on my shoulder.

Above you can see pics from today- including when a bird landed on top of my head. As if thats not weird enough, the blue-yellow bird from above grapped my umberella strap in its beak and wouldn't let go. It felt like the birds were attacking me. Awesome.

Banana (4)

2008-06-09T20:32:00.003-07:00

These pictures were taken at the Chiquita Banana farm, and seeing as how I've talked about various aspects of bananas, I want to focus this post entirely on Chiquita. What I saw when I was there, who they are, what they stand for. They are taking steps towards sustainability and although it's very hard for them to get there, recognition is definately in order. Glenn commented that Chiquita is doing more for the environment than basically any other banana plantation- and this post will be about that.

The first thing that was really cool about Chiquita was the series of small businesses that the students/homemakers/workers set up. I learned about two: (1) the banana show, (2) the newspaper crafts. These programs were geared to provide additional income to the surrounding communities. "Grupo Nogua" was really cool and can be seen in the 4th picture.

Chiquita is a large business with over 25,000 employees and 37,000 acres of banana farm. At this particualar branch we went to (the Guayacan branch), they pay each worker $13 a day. While this may not seem like much, it's a considerable amount over what other banana farms pay their workers. On top of a higher paycheck, Chiquita also supplies the workers with health/accident/maternity/and life insurance. The banana industry employs a great deal of work in Costa Rica and I thought it was interesting how much Chiquita has given back. Besides donating buildings and sporting equipment, they are leading the industry in regards to Environmental sustainability.

One of Chiquita's main accomplishments is their work with the Rainforest Alliance. This Conservation organization helped Chiquita to use less pesticides and other harmful chemicals without losing bananas. Chiquita is also taking steps to grow new trees around local homes and reconnect destroyed forests. All in all, they have planted at least 1 million new trees. Besides new trees, the bags used to protect the plants are recycled- resulting in 3000 metric tons that was recycled last year. Whether these bags were downcycled or not... I don't know- but it's better than them being thrown away... sort of. Chiquita also claims that they've installed traps to stop waste from polluting streams and rivers. Way to go!

I was also impressed by their care for the workers. Chiquita enforces safe working conditions by providing protection and training for each worker. Workers are also enforced to take showers after work to ensure that any chemicals they did come in contact with are washed off. Their are various other regulations, all part of the SA8000 which they follow.

Coffee (4)

2008-06-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

The last 3 coffee blogs have covered history/problems of coffee farms, the coffee bean process, inorganic/organic, as well as what Free trade and Fair trade is as it pertains to coffee. Without a lot of topics left, I will explain how the coffee industry brings tourists as well as some Costa Rican coffee recipes. I think this will be a fun and informative topic to end on. Perhaps I will do one more small personal blog, but it will be nothing big.

After typing in "Best quality coffee" on Google, it came to no surprise that a Costa Rican coffee brand came up first. Through countless times in research, I have read about the perfect conditions that Central America has to offer. With the rich volcanic soil and high altitudes, people make it a point to try the coffee when they come here. Even for us, we toured 2 coffee plantations to see what they were like. I was continually reminded of this crops importance by the 'Cafe Brit' bags for sale virtually every place we went. Our host mom would offer us coffee at every breakfeast, and I even bought a couple bags to take home with me. I remember reading that on average, the Costa Rican Tourist drinks 2 cups of Costa Rican coffee a day. WOW. I don't know if this is a lot for coffee drinkers- but it seems like a lot to me. I don't think I've noted anything about the world market for Coffee, so I think I'll discuss that a little. In 2004, coffee was the top export for 12 countries, with Brazil be the number 1 coffee producer. Prices for coffee fluctuate a lot, but recently they were selling for around $1 a pound. With it being so important, a lot of people drink the beverage. While consumption has been shown to coorelate with certain diseases, it has been shown to lessen the chance of others. Overall, I think if you enjoy it- you should drink it.

With the importance of coffee to Costa Rican's tourists, and thus- their economy, I have to wonder what else is being done with the beans. As I've learned, there is many ways to prepare coffee besides just black & with cream and sugar. A various array of cold and hot coffee's are popular to touristy-coffee restaurants. I will include one hot drink:

Ingredients:
25 grams of dark chocolate
1 tablespoon of cream
3 ounces of hot espresso
2 tablespoons of whipped cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
Preparation:
Melt the chocolate slowly and add the cream.
Serve the above into an espresso cup adding the coffee little by little and mixing it to leave a creamy drink.
Maintain hot and decorate with the whipped cream and the sugar.
Cinnamon and cocoa powder can be used as decoration on top as well.

one cold drink:

Ingredients:
¾ cup of coffee
1 cube of ice
1 cup of marrasquino
1 ½ tablespoon of sugar (optional)
Preparation:
Serve the mazagran in a cold cup or glass. Add the coffee and the ice cube, and sugar if necessary.
Mix and drink!

and one food item:

Costa Rican Coffee Panna Cotta with Bittersweet Chocolate-Rum Sauce
-a creamy custard dessert with Costa Rican flavors

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup dark rum
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons dark colored corn syrup
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon dark rum
8 sprigs fresh mint for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup of dark rum and allow to soften for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together 1 1/4 cups of whipping cream, brown sugar, and espresso powder in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until brown sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, then whisk in gelatin mixture until dissolved.
Whisk in the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth. Evenly divide the mixture between eight 3/4 cup custard cups or molds, cover each with plastic wrap, and chill at least 4 hours to overnight.
Bring 3/4 cup whipping cream and corn syrup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of rum and set aside.
To serve, run a knife around the edge of each mold, then set each cup into a shallow bowl of hot water for 10 seconds to loosen. Invert the mold over a serving plate and remove the panna cotta. Spoon chocolate sauce around each panna cotta and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Now while I am not the creator of these recipes, perhaps my vast amounts of readers can try them out. If nothing else, it was a fun way to end my blogs on Costa Rican coffee.

Tourism (4)

2008-06-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

My past 3 blogs on tourism have been about ecotourism and the Economy, ecotourism and the Environment, and Hot Spots for Ecotourism. I will focus this blog on Ecotourism as it pertends to the beaches and aquatic life.

I decided to focus on this because of our recent trip. During snorkeling, I saw a lot of cool fish/coral. Sitting up on the beach, though, I realized how much dead coral had washed up on the shore. What's more, I went to eat some pineapple where the monkees seemed to be relying on the Tourists for food. I could see how the tourists are making a bad footprint in the area.

The worlds' coral reefs cover approximately 368,000 square miles of the ocean floor- which is a tiny amount in comparison to the rest of the ocean. It's interesting to know that about 1 million different species call this area their home. When tourists go snorkeling/ scubadiving in the Costa Rican waters they many times purposefully or accidentally destroy coral. My friend Marty accidently touched coral reef while he was swimming- probably killing it. Other tourists probably feel like because they're on vacation, they should be able to do whatever they want, so they touch it. and kill it. As coral is killed, fish that rely on coral will die. The fish/animals that ate those fish will then die- and thus a vicious cycle begins.

Likewise, some tourists think it's fun or necessary to feed animals. What they don't realize is that by feeding monkees and such they are ruining the animals' natural capability to find food. Eventually monkees (for example) will lose this ability all together and rely on tourists for food. I was talking to our tour guide and he said it was a major problem, because we're disrupting the natural way of things. Like in many areas, human interference doesn't have to be seen as a bad thing- but we make it a bad thing. Cradle to Cradle shows us that we can grow and interact with the world while being completely healthy. My experience on the beach and in the water shows me that nature is much too beautiful to destroy. By educating tourists, this problem can be reduced, although the only way to completely stop it- is to not have tourists at all... and that will never happen.

Personal (4)

2008-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took a trip to Puerto Viejo as well as various other places (which I don't remember the name of). After setting off for a couple hours on the bus, and watching Bourne Identity, we spent the night at a nature-science place. Scientists from all over the world went there to study biodiversity and it was interesting getting to tour around. We saw some poison-dart frogs, some neat plants, monkees, etc.

The next morning we had breakfeast and went on our way to Puerto Viejo. On the bus ride, we had enough time to watch the other two Bourne movies. We also had time to watch various other movies throughout the trip. It's amazing how long it takes to get somewhere, for being as small of a coutry as it is. After arriving at our hotel, we went around the town- which was pretty sketch. I talked to this guy for a while with a guitar singing 'amazing grace'- and then we all went to a Karioke bar, which was great. Marty and I sang 'can you feel the love tonight'. There were only 2 english discs, out of about 200 or so. We sang through both of them. Pretty much all of us. Costa Ricans would stop by and watch all of us singing old american songs and laugh. It was a good time.

The next day we went snorkeling in the ocean- which was fun- and had lunch on this beach, where I saw a Sloth, a Yellow Pit Viper, and A white-faced monkee. The monkee came right up to us. It was hilarious. He even went up to this ladies purse, opened it, and was about to take stuff out before she snatched it away. It was amazing watching this monkee eye us for food. Every once in awhile someone would drop food and the monkee would dart down and grab it.

After one night, we went to Manzanillo which was by far the coolest part. This place was like a 4 star-er. It was right on the beach, the rooms were great, and the food was fantastic. During the day we'd swim and hang out. At night, I'd usually go for a walk on the beach or something. There were hundereds of these little crabs on the beach- and surfers out in the Caribbean. It was just a sweet experience all-together. Our bathroom even had a thing that sprays water on you when you're done. Sa-Weet! hah.

The drive back to San Jose wasn't bad, but I saw another cockroach in my room- and when I tried to kill it, it ran under my bed, and then I couldn't find it. Freaks me out. It's the second time I'm going to go to bed knowing theres a cockroach in there with me. OHhhhh to be in America... the cockroach free country. 1 week left. But beside the roaches, I love it.

Coffee (3)

2008-06-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

After discussing the Fair Trade/ Free trade Coffee as well as the diferrences between Cafe Brit and Cafe Tal (Organic vs. Inorganic), this post will be completely focused on the costs of growing coffee.

Coffee originally was grown under a shady canopy and through changes has moved towards non-canopy growth. Because forests have been largely cut down for this agricultural purpose, as we've learned, a lot of animals have lost their home. Traditional- forested coffee farms- would attract a lot of wildlife (Estimated 150 of birds!) mainly because they mimiced forest better than other farms.

The problem arises in the 1960's-ish, when farmers began getting rid of the forest to increase the amount of beans per plant. While this proved effective, the bigger picture shows it wasn't a smart move. Besides destroying animals habitat, no canopy meant more pesticides and fertilizers had to be used to keep the plant effective. With no cover, rain falls harder on the plants, washing the dangerous chemicals into the soil. Insecticides, herbicides and fungicides also had to be used to assure the health of the plants. Although, by this point, it's hard to call this plant 'healthy'. Getting rid of the shade also subjects the plants to a greater chance of premature death. So while the farmers are getting more beans per plant, the environment seems to be the one taking a blow. It kind of follows the brute force model in Cradle to Cradle where our current day mindset is something like this: If brute force isn't working, you're not using enough of it. We are stressing the land/diversity to a devastating point, and all for what? So a little more profit can be made. That is a major focus in business. Though as I've been learning, it's equally important to have Equity and Environment. Economy isn't everything.

It's ironic, though, to see here wood-and-plastic frameworks over plants to provide them shade. It's like farmers forgot why trees were there in the first place. In a desperate attempt to mimic what nature did best (as is done with multiple industries) a man-made shade was made from large plastic sheets. As far as I know, these sheets are not biodegradable, and there discarding process would be all but beneficial.

With problems like these, I have to wonder, why doesn't everyone just go organic? Why don't the farmers let the trees grow back? Because the Yield is lower (amount of beans per plant) for organic coffee and it's more labor intensive, most coffee farmers are afraid to switch. It seems to most all that it's not worth the risk. Maybe we'll get to a time where the government or NGO's will pay the difference so that the environment can be nourished back to the way it was: perfect.

Personal (3)

2008-06-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Aight- Here's the lowdown on the last few days:

Last thursday we went White Water rafting in the pacuare river. I've been rafting in Colorado before, but this was exceptionally good. It's ranked #5 in the world, and with all the rain the previous day- and how sunny it was- the conditions were great. We got breakfeast upon arrival, the ususal- Fruit, rice, beans, etc. Not too long after, we embarked on the 18 mile trip. Throughout the trip, we went through canyons and forests, and the scenery was incredible. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because I didn't want my camera to break. We also got to see some Natives of the area, who were washing their clothes and playing in the river. After a while, we stopped for lunch, and the guides prepared a pretty good wrap and trail mix lunch. YUM! haha. Anyway, we got up to a class 4 rapid, and the guide even let us all jump out of the boat at one point and float through a rapid. I went under a few times, but maintained a strong grip on the outside of the boat. We went swimming multiple times and had fun pulling eachother into the water when we weren't in the rapids. The experience was the best one on this trip, and even got me thinking about becoming a rafting-guide after college for a bit. I think it'd be a blast- and it's just my kind of thing.

Friday through this Wednesday we spent in the OSA Peninsula. At one point on the way, we all had to get out and push the bus because it got stuck. I don't think I've said anything about the roads- but they're aweful. Seriously. Potholes up the wazoo. We also took a 1 hour - 2 hour boat ride to get to our camp. The first boat ride was the roughest, as the waves were pretty wild, and it was raining. Last year, the boat flipped. This year, it did not. That night we slept in tents. There were some enormous bugs I've never seen just walking around. Sa-weet!

The next day we took a boat ride to a national park, where we got to see monkeys, colorful birds, insects, mammals, and just a bunch of neat stuff that we didn't see at Monteverde. The howler monkeys were especially cool. We also got to crack open fresh coconuts- with some help from the guide- and eat them. It was pretty delicious. The next day we took a boat ride to an island where we snorkled. I got to see some exotic fish. While it wasn't as cool as the first time I went snorkling, it was still fun. The nights were filled with card games and dancing and sleeping.

The pics above are just some random ones:

1- the tents

2- some crocs

3- a jaguar footprint

4- trudging through the rainforest

5- swimming around

6- chillin in paradise

Bananas (3)

2008-05-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

Seeing as to that we're going to a banana plantation this upcoming week, I think it would be beneficial to learn more about the plant. I've learned about its history with Costa Rica in post #1, the negative effects in post #2, and will focus my final post on my experiences at the banana plantations as well as the effect it has on the economy. This post will be fully focused on the plant itself, and what planting it does to the area around it.

The name banana come from the Arabic term for finger- banan, because when bananas first started off, they were smaller and finger-like. Simularily, the plaintain got its name from the spanish term platano, which refferred to the spanish plane tree.

The banana plant is actually a large herb but looks tree-ish due to the densly packed leaves that grow from the roots. The banana herb has been altered many times, and has no actual "seed". The plants simply regenerate after each harvest in their large rows. Although their are hundreds of banana plants, mainly the yellow Gran Cavendish is grown for it's delicious taste and amount of productivity. In fact, it produces year round in the right conditions. With this being said, I think it is safe to see that when we visit the Banana Plantations, we will surely see the herbs producing the fruit.

A purple stem grows out of the stalk, producing white flowers. This stem then turns into the massive bunches of bananas I'm so familiar with in pictures (About 150 per stem) and can weigh at least 140 lbs.

Before the fruit is ripe, it is cut into the bunches we all see in grocery stores. The stalk is then cut, leaving room for a little stalk to sprout from the very same roots- and the process starts again! I'm hoping to update this post once I learn more about bananas from the plantation.

tourism (3)

2008-05-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Because I've focused my Past two entries on the Pros and Cons of ecotourism to the (1) Environment and (2) Economy, I wanted to structure this one differently. Because Tourism is people from other countries coming in to see Costa Rica, this will be a sort of letter to them about my researched Hot Spots, Things to experience, and precautions to take.

A few of the best places to see in Costa Rica include Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, and Tortuguero. It's interesting, because we have already been to some of these places and experienced them firsthand. We are tourists after all....

Arenal Volcano, when it's clear, gives tourists quite a memorable experience. Besides the coolness of being a volcano- it's active- which means at night, you can see lava! The area is surrounded with eco-adventures, like the lavarock we climed on and the forest we trudged through. There are also hot springs and other activities nearby to enjoy.

Moving on, Monteverde offers tourists a true taste to the rainforest that Costa Rica is associated with. This 26,000 acres provides a rainy home to thousands of plants, animals, and insects. This was a truely exceptional time, as I saw bats, a tarantula, and even the Quetzal- which I'm told is a very rare find.

Manuel Antonio is another place I've been, which provides tourists with a few beaches and a forest filled with such animals as monkeys!

Tortuguero is a national park that provides a different way to get around (by boats through canals). The special thing about this place is that during certain times of the year, tourists can watch turtle come up and lay their eggs on the beach. I know this would be an awesome thing to see, although I will not get to see it on this trip.

Moving on to Touristy experiences include the Canopy tours, whitewater rafting, and birdwatching. Traveling above the top of the rainforest is an extremelly fun time (I know), and provides tourists with a memorable view of above the rainforests. Whitewater rafter is likewise an adventure, and because it rains so much, it's really good! One hotspot is the Pacuare River rafting which alows you to see a couple of rainforests while you battle through class 3 and 4 rapids. Birdwatching is another Costa-Rican activity due to the vast amount of species of birds. I can tell some people are very passionate about birdwatching due to seeing people with bird-identifying books like one of our tour guides- Roberto.

Another thing that tourists should know about is the precautions they should take both in the city and the rainforest. On second thought, I think I'll save this information for my next post. I also might discuss how Costa Rica saving their forest is such a good idea for tourism. Until next post- Pura Vida!

Bananas (2)

2008-05-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

During My research on bananas, I came across an article on the Chiquita branch in Costa Rica which I thought pertained to a lot of things we have discussed in class. Because Chiquita produces and ships millions of bananas each year, it is important to know what they´re doing and how they´re doing it.

The majority of the report was derived from interviews with employees, environmental scientists, and reporters from the Enquirer who visited the plantations.

Herbicides, which are sprayed all over the plant to keep other plants from growing. Likewise, Nematicides are sprayed all around to keep Nematodes (small worms) from attacking the roots. This is important, because while this may be effective in the short run, it is doomed for disaster in the long run. Despite the precautions they take, they chemicals sprayed on the plants are extremely dangerous and toxic. When it rains, these chemicals run through the ground water into the nearby streams and lakes which are then used for other things. This will negatively effect people whether they immediately realize it or not.

Another common practice is Aerial spraying, which is when airplanes (as much as 40 times a year) fly over the field spraying them with pesticides. While the effect is arguably beneficial- to combat Black Sigatoka disease- the aftermath is likely destructive. It doesn't help knowing that the water used to wash off these pesticides flows back into the same irrigation canals they came from.

When the bananas are cut down and organized, mainly women used hooked knives to cut the bananas and send them on their way. I learned while reading 'Corporate Survival' today that companies need to take the necessary precautions to protect their workers. If anything were to happen, the company is directly responsible and must compensate them for hospital expenses and missed work (or at least that's how it is in the US).

New pesticides are used on the bunched bananas, and to my surprise- most workers don't wear gloves when handling them. They might be unknowingly breathing and dealing with extremely harmful chemicals- of which are not good for their health.

Afther being in Costa Rica for some time, it is not hard to see the amount it rains. With such rain, the pesticides in this process are frequently being washed into the soil over and over and over again. To combat this, Chiquita just applies more pesticides. I feel that there has to be some better way to do this- and perhaps someday, a creative mind will figure a way how.

coffee (2)

2008-05-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

After researching Fair Trade Coffee, I came across the "Central American Free Trade Agreement" and while it doesn't relate exactly to coffee, I still feel it's important for me to look into.

The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) erases/lowers the tariffs on the trade between the US, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Because Costa Rica has a strong and stable economy, it benifits from CAFTA.

Because we recently visited Cafe Britt, a major coffe producer, I wanted to focus this post on something they focused on: The process. Seeing as how I still have 2 more posts on coffee after this, I find it appropriate to spend one post researching exactly how coffee is made. To do this, I will go through the steps:

(1) The coffee plant takes 3 to 4 years before it starts producing the fruit (the Cherry). I got to see this fruit at the first coffe plantation- cafe de tal- and even got to squeeze the seed out of the fruit.

(2) The fruit is hand picked in bags/baskets come harvest time (usually 8 months after the plant flowers)

(3) The Cherries are cleansed and organized. I learned at Cafe Brit how the good fruit can be separated in various ways, one being flotation, so that only the best coffee will be produced.

(4) The Cherries are spread out to dry in the sun in vast drying beds.

(5) Because of the layers, steps must be taken to get the coffee bean. The fruit is removed, and then the silver skin is removed- revealing the green-colored bean.

(6) The Beans are then sorted by Size, Density, and Color; where the heaviest and biggest are the best. The coffee is then graded.

We got to see a "Grading" of the coffee at cafe Britt, and to be honest, it looked kind of silly. There were various tests- ex: Pouring the crushed beans into a cup, then pouring hot water on them (if they float, they're good). The guide also went through an extensive smelling and slurping of the coffee process to get the full flavor of the drink. It was entertaining, but I have to wonder how effective it really was. Cafe Britt went on to explain how they decaffinated their beans by sending them to Sweeden (or some place like it) where the beans go through a complex process. After all this, the beans are roasted in big rotating drums that tumble the beans with hot gases. The longer the bean is roasted- the darker and shinier it is! This is apparently where terms like "light roast" and "dark roast" come from. The beans final process is packaging, which we also got to see at Cafe Britt- for their organic coffee brand.

Tourism (2)

2008-05-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

After Having more of a chance to see some Touristy places, I have more of an opinion on Costa Rica's biggest industry. Cafe Britt and Monteverde were both very tourist-centered. Monteverde even moreso. Going into Cafe Britt, the whole thing was just one big show. At times, I didn't know whether to take them seriously or just take it as a joke. They had a fake little coffee farm set up for us to go through, and a production with glow in the dark and music to enjoy. Monteverde had a different feel. It wasn't a show, but it's the reason people come to Costa Rica. I know when I think of Costa Rica, I think; Rainforest. Since Monteverde is the largest eco-tourism rainforest with all of its biodiversity, I can see why people would be attracted to it. Personally, I know I saw animals and critters I had never seen before. I am very grateful that I got to go here.

Tour guides continually stress the importance of Eco-tourism to their country and how helpful it is having an industry like it. This is an industry where people are paying just to look at the natural ways things work. Cradle to Cradle focuses on this aspect of how nature continually turns waste into food- and it is especially noticeable in the rainforest. The decaying trees and organisms provied nutrients to the soil and other animals. It is an amazing thing to see- and how businesses should (and probably will be) set up in the future. Getting to see this process as a tourist, as well as all of the aesthetic things nature has to offer is worth my time and money.

Because on my last post I concentrated on Environmental Costs and benefits, this time I will focus on Economic Costs and Benefits.

Economic Costs

As ecotourism becomes more popular, rich businessmen (hoping to make some money) could enter the system. If they buy areas/ build things that arn't eco-friendly, a lot of damage could be done. Costa Rica must keep a strong infrastructure so that richer nations/corporations don't gradually take control. Locals also suffer, as they get low-paying jobs in this industry. The higher paying managerial/executive positions will almost always be given to people from foreign nations. This is also quite a risky field in general as terrorism threats or crime rates could have a significant impact.

Economic Benefits

The benefits of more people coming to your country are obvious. More people leads to more industry- leads to more money- leads to more jobs. Multiple areas benefit. People eat the food, sleep at the hotels, drink the coffee, and buy the touristy items. Their is also a transfer of wealth as the rich people come in and spend on things like $10 drinks (like at the hot springs). Because wealthier nations can afford these prices, Costa Rica benefits. Tourism also makes the Country a more diverse and interesting place.

Surely, there is more good coming from Ecotourism than bad.

My Birthday (Personal #2)

2008-05-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

So Friday morning we left bright and early to go to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. The first night we went swimming in the nearby hot springs (around 105 degrees). It was a blast, as I hung out with everyone and went down a ridiculous waterslide. There was also the SUPER hot spring, which was probably in the 120's degree wise. This was so hot, I could barely put my feet in for 2 seconds before quicky pulling them out. After Marty went in though, I had to do it. So Marty and I ended up going head-under in an almost boiling pool of water. After that was a delicious dinner, and then back to the hotel. The second day we went to a waterfall oasis- which was Incredible! The waterfall was so powerful, that even when I swam at it at full speed- the current pushed me back. We also all swam around behind the waterfall to explore a small cave. Later, we had a picnic and went on a hike to see the volcano closer. We hiked across volcanic rock and then walked back in the pouring rain. After dinner, we went back to the hotel- where the power was out, but we could see the red lava at the top of the volcano- awesome! We all hung out in eachothers rooms and talked and watched random spanish movies.

The next morning we went van-boat-van to Monteverde. Here we went Ziplining. Now... I've been zip lining before, but this was like stepping out of the baby pool and jumping into the deep end. It was raining and cloudy- Some of the lines were about a mile long! Ziping- I felt like I was flying through a cloud- it was unreal. We were super high- and I loved it. We also did a tarzan swing, which was this: (1) strap in (2) jump off a huge platform (3) scream as you fall, and then swing through the forest. Because it was my birthday, I fell backwards. It was really scary- But sweet. That night we went to dinner at a really nice pizza place- and they brought me out a special ice cream-chocolate desert. YEAH!

That night was also great as we went out on a night time nature walk. The coolest thing was when the guide flashed on his light- and their was hundereds of bats surounding us. I've never seen so many bats. Then he turned his light back off, and they were just flying all around us. Awesome!!! I also got to see a tarantula, a tree frog, some insects, and an animal thing. We would have seen more- but most animals were hiding from the rain. That night was great as we played Mafia and a Winking game for a couple hours. The worse part was knowing I'd have to put on my sopping wet boots the next morning... and so I did. The morning hike allowed us to see some birds. I don't really remember them, but I remember I saw a male "quetzal" or something like it... i think it was a big deal. Tomorrow and Wednesday are free days- so we're leaving for a beach to chill and hopefully Marty and I will learn how to surf a bit. I'm pumped.

picture 1- at the hot springs
2- the volcano
3- marty and i touring a dam
4- the waterfall

Bananas

2008-05-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Because we havn't yet visited a banana plantation, I don't have an opinion on the industry. This post is mainly to research the history of banana's in Costa Rica.

While the banana industry is not currently the biggest, it has certainly made its mark historically. Bananas came to the Caribbean landscape around 1870 when Minor Keith started shipping them to New Orleans. He started the Tropical Trading and Transport Co. which merged together with Boston Fruit Co. to form United Fruit Co. In this way, Costa Rica was the first Latin American country to have this fruit! No wonder it´s such a historic crop. As Banana farming continued to grow (over 1,000,000 stems exported in 1889), the United Fruit company built farms all around the Sixaola river. By 1911, Costa Rica was the largest exporter of Bananas, leading to the major firms today: (1)Standard Fruit Co, (2)Chiquita, and (3)Dole.

During the 1920's and 30's there were numerous strikes, the biggest being organized by Manuel Mora Valverde. Manuel created the 'Bloc of Workers and Peasants' which successfully shut down banana production in 1934- until wages were raised.

By 1991, 75 million boxes were being produced, generating around $440.9 million. I can only imagine what kind of a economy-booster this would have given Costa Rica. Currently, the banana farms are mainly located in the Estrella and Matina valleys, the lowland of Santa Clara, and in the area of Sixaola river.

Because the fruit is wrapped in plastic bags (which wash out to the sea), turtles mistake them for food. To correct this devastating problem, the nation's largest plastic recycling factory was created- though through reading Cradle to Cradle- I have to wonder if it is in fact downcycling. Likewise, this problem with the turtles could be similar to the Fish problem stated in 'Environmental Sustainability' where after a certain point, the problem becomes irreversible. When companies are making decisions based on what will benefit them in the short-term, and especially when they are not being held liable for the damage they're doing- the environment suffers. And what a worse thing to suffer? After reading about how our natural resources are virtually priceless, we need to take the appropriate steps now to take care of our world. The fertilizers banana plantations use also pose a threat, as they wash out into the sea and kill coral reefs and marine life. Other Pesticides used harm the plantation workers. If nature is priceless- how can you price a human life? You can't. At what cost is destruction okay?

I would argue that being the huge money-maker that bananas are, there could be more advancements made to where the waste becomes food- thus creating a cycle. I am facinated by this Cradle-to-Cradle concept of REAL RECYCLING. No waste? Awesome!

I will focus later posts on where the crop is exported, how it affects the economy, other problems it creats, and my impressions of the plantations I visit.

Coffee

2008-05-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a small, family owned, coffee plantation up in the mountains called Del Cafe de Tal. I was able to see how an inorganic, but sustainable, farm worked as she showed us the plants, the roasting area, and let us taste the final product. While I´m not a huge fan of the taste, I definately have more of an appreciation for the product and I still enjoy the smell. I learned how the bean is squeezed out of the red flesh of the plant, and how shade affects the growing process. Because these beans were up in the mountains, having less sunlight, they were able to grow healthfully. The owner went on to talk about how she tried producing organic plants for 4 years, however, it wasn´t worth it. It takes a few years for the soil to be considered chemical-free, and the profit margin is almost equal between organic and inorganic beans. I was impressed that her beans won "#1 in Costa Rica" and proceeded to buy a bag for my parents. Getting more in depth with research, I found the following about Costa Rican Coffee:

Glenn noted that is important to learn what "Fair Trade" coffee is. After researching, I`ve learned that fair trade is referring to fair prices for a farmer or enough to live by. Throughout history, small and large farmers have been battling it out- with large farmers at a huge competitive edge: the ability to set prices. I can see how it would be important for the small farmers to join together, and thus they have- in an organization called COOCAFÉ. Of the 72,942 coffee farmers in Costa Rica, most are part of this organization. Prices become more and more important, as farmers aren't making that much profit. While in America, we might pay $15 or so per pound, only (approx.) $1.50 makes it back to the grower. So while a lot of coffee can be sold to the Fair Trade market, some still has to be sold by conventional terms to countries like Germany, Holland, and the US.

Through studies on the effect of the Fair Trade market, and COOCAFE, producer organizations are strengthened and the return-rates are improved for the small farmers. This has an overall positive effect as the small farmers have a more stable income and can provide a better life for their family.

I was also impressed to learn of COOCAFE's environmental efforts. This is especially relevant as the primary focus of our class is Business Sustainability in dealing with environment. I find myself noticing, even in the small coffee plantation yesterday, what kind of waste their is and what could be done about it. A lot of trees had to be cut down to have the farm- and what happens as a result of the pesticides and chemicals used on the plants? The trees were probably sent to make paper or some other product, which was likely thrown away, destined to some landfill where it will never be recovered. This is a perfect example of the Cradle-to-Grave way, where valuable resources are being wasted. Likewise with the pesticides, I'm sure they're probably safe, but what if they're getting chemicals on the bean- or damaging the soil? Perhaps the Pests natural predators have been scared away, and they are adapting to the pesticides- making them innefective.

Tourism

2008-05-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Before I go on about Tourism, I want to make note of our visit to CINDE. CINDE is a non-profit business that promotes Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by building up Costa Rica's image to international businesses. They focus on 3 major topics: Electronics, Medical, and Services of Costa Rica. I know that the Ticos are very proud of their peace and stability (They have no army) as it is stated virtually everywhere we go. Because the country was previously dependent on products that didn't allow growth, mainly agricultural products, they've been trying to increase other industries.

Tourism, which classify's as a service industry, has become the largest industry in Costa Rica due mainly to the country's inherent beauty. They pride themselves on Nature, and the personality of their people. Among things that we'll see on our trip as tourists include: Cloudforests, volcanoes, hot springs, wildlife, coral reef, flowers, etc. Through researching the subject, I've found that the amount of people coming to Costa Rica for tourism has been steadily increasing. While this seems great, esecially as a reason to preserve the forest, there can be just as many negative aspects.

Approximately 50% of the Tourists come from the United States, and with me being one of them, I can see why. Costa Rica is so close and provides an exotic experience that people don't get from the States.

The benefits are as follows:
-Protected wildlife and forests (21% of total land is protected)
-Income from research, food products, and tourists
-Encourages the protection of environment
-promotes small-scale investment

Through these various reasons, it is easy for me to see how protecting the environment is a better option than destroying areas for factory's and Hotels. Surely this healthy system will continue to thrive as tourists continually come in to enjoy all this country has to offer.

The negative points are as follows:
-Too many visitors (causes strain on land and animals)
-Profit becoming main goal
-No means to carry out protection (not enough park rangers, protected land is not purchased by government)
-Reliance on $ from other countries

I can definately see how with the massive amount of customers coming through the forest, their is a major toll on the land. Tourists may, for example, trudge through an area touching things that shouldn't be touched or littering. Because the government doesn't own all of the protected land it would also be very hard to actually enforce protection. Individual owners may, in the interest of profit, do things to the land which may be unhealthy for it.

The preceding information was all on the Pros and Cons to the Environment. Other areas, like how Eco-tourism affects the Economy will be discussed later. I have not fully felt the effects of tourism, as I havn't been out to the Tourist sites. I expect to have a better understanding of this subject after the upcoming weekend- when we're traveling to Monteverde!

personal

2008-05-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'll write more on these experiences later, but wanted to post a picture of me at CINDE, the business we visited yesterday, and a picture with my host mom.

Personal

2008-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

I only have a few minutes but I'll give you a lowdown on my time so far. My room is about half the size of my room at home, and is ground level- so cockroaches come in sometimes. Last night- I killed 2 cockroaches- and then when I woke up this morning, ants had eaten them. !!! exciting!! lol. The meals are oddly wonderful. Yesterday we had ham sandwich's for breakfast and chicken quesodillas for dinner. this morning we had fruit and pizza. The host family is great- consisting of a mom- who cooks and cleans all day, Clara- the maid, marco- the little guy, ana maria- the little girl, and then there's 3 other brothers. The Dad passed away two years ago from a heart attack. Along with me, there are 4 other students living there- Marty, Dan (FL), Eric (Maine), Mark (NC). It's a solid group. The city contains a lot of poverty- and isn't all that spectacular- but the university we're at is pretty state-of-the-art. Yesterday it was around 80 and sunny and very humid, and in the latter part of the day- it poured. Unfortunately, Marty and I were walking back about 2-3 miles out, and got soaaakkkked. Most of my stuff got soaked to- and I don't think the raincoat I have was maid for that intense of rain. There are a lot of sweet flowers here, and the Ticos are really nice. There are also a lot of spiders, so I don't think my sister would be a fan. I've also been practicing my spanish, which is sweet. I'm excited to see what the rest of Costa Rica is like, but I have class at 9, so I need to get to that. Adios!