In Costa Rica we are fairly fortunate to be able to rely on the land and the green space that surrounds us. It doesn’t take the best green thumb to make a garden grow here. Combined with the number of sunny days a year, where solar can be implemented for energy sources at home and ample down pour where you can collect rain water, relying on natural resources becomes second nature to those of us who live here. And if you are taking any of these last steps towards your own self sufficiency, way to go! You are definitely ahead of the curve.

We can also look into smaller detail at our daily habits to help ourselves in the long run.  Offsetting our carbon travel footprint, one may decide to take up the hobby of tree planting. Waste management also definitely comes under the microscope. Looking at the incoming plastics from purchases and an effort to minimize single use plastics we can look at ways of using reusable containers wherever possible by buying in bulk, bringing our own take out containers when eating out, and choosing to buy local where big packaging is often forgone. IN the home, we can help Mother Earth out by using biodegradable cleaning solvents. Most people don’t realize cleaning detergents oftentimes are sent back into nature polluting streams and rivers nearby. Best to use natural from the get go as to be most symbiotic with the environment. The extra cost for these last products are surely well worth the health benefits they reap. And for those experts whom have gone the extra mile, where up-cycling clothes is not just a fashion statement it’s a way to reduce your impact, hats off, as often time clothing is the item most likely to find its self on its way to the garbage. 

There are many ways to help this worldwide issue of what it will take for us to be sustainable and seems to be the only thing we know for sure is it is going to take every individuals effort to help achieve it.

Pro-Tip!

Regrow Heady Edibles like Pineapple 

• Twist the crown of leaves off the top of the pineapple. Make sure the base, the very tip of the area where the leaves join together, stays intact. New roots will be sprouting from this, and without it the plant won’t grow. 
• Strip off some of the lower leaves and any pineapple to expose the core stem. This helps the stem sprout roots once it is planted.
• Let it dry a week. 
• Then place the crown in a bowl of water in a sunny spot. Roots will begin to grow within days and it will be ready for transplant when you see several roots growing out.

They say it takes about two years for a pineapple to come to fruition. What do you say, worth the wait? Or can’t wait to try!

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The recent pandemic is teaching us the best lesson to the entirety of the human race and we have to take the positive silver linings from it. Everyone is thinking how to survive and reinvent themselves, where only one thing is sure, we can not continue being the same way we were after this. Not only because of healthy restrictions, the situation is beyond that and I truly believe this is a call to reconnect consciously with ourselves, our relatives, friends and the most important with Mother Nature.

We have enough tools and information now to create a better world for our children and future generations but it’s a matter of stopping with greed and finding solidarity with everything around us. I am sure more people will come to this country to move, away from the big cities, and start new lives in the beautiful jungle of the Southern of Costa Rica and this is exactly why I am calling everyone to make a difference.

For several years I have been writing about the local situations that need to be addressed but we still need to do more (see online for archives). As you know the local Municipality has created a Zoning Map that does not include the environmental elements and therefore does not support sustainable building practices. This will have an enormous impact for the future development of the land.

In my personal opinion there are five main values that can be applied in order to make a difference for a correct and sustainable development:

1. LOVE: If we don’t love each one next to us, our land and our resources, we will be lost again. Like Mother Teresa once said: The greatest science in the world, in heaven and on earth is LOVE.
2. HUMBLE: If you are not humble you can not understand what life is giving you. This value is very important too because without it you will always feel empty and you won’t understand the abundance of Mother Nature.
3. SOLIDARITY: The Zoning Map requires analysis before it is approved – consider on your end the environmental elements and local communities and associations. before submissions as they too will need to approve.
4. MORAL ETHIC: Every developer or investor must be conscious for every new project, they have all the power to decide the path, of course with the help of professionals.
5. GRATITUDE: Programs of reforestation are to be mandatory by law, for every square meter that a developer will affect of the proposed land, they will have to reforest the same amount of area around in order to show gratitude to Earth.

If these FIVE values are all connected and local entities have control over them, I am sure the impact for our local environment will be positive and we can preserve a lot of wildlife and it’s diversity. I am not saying these are the only ways, I am sure there are many more ideas and many people can add more on, these last are just a humble opinion based on my experience of 12 years living and building down here.

If we educate our young kids and the new generations the integrity and the importance of these values, they will make a huge difference when they venture out into the world unknown and the world will be a better place. Remember that education is not only what you learn in school. Education is based on values and how a person behaves and treats others. No matter their position or title in the world, country of origin, color of their skin, or gender. No matter how rich or how poor, an educated person will treat the people and the earth with the same respect that is.

… Earth provides enough to satisfy every man´s needs, but not every man´s greed … – Mahatma Ghandi

Written by Adrián Coto

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That said, it takes some understanding and a bit of planning, to sort out both personal and professional needs, and make it work. Add kids, pets, housework and spouses to the mix, and things get complicated. Working from home, if you’re not set up for it, suddenly seems daunting. I left the frantic pace of big agency life to work freelance and build my own design business, a few years ago, so I have learned to see “work” and “life” as interchangeable.

There is a wonderful rhythm to home life that can feed into work and creativity, if you go with that flow, not against it. We can be open to the change of energy, the ebb and flow of daily living. Rather than expect hours and hours of work focus, I am open and flexible to domestic chores, talks with friends, research, cooking, and these mental shifts boost my creativity when I come back to my desk. Plus the laundry is done!

Before I work again I use breathing, yoga, music or quick exercise to build positive energy and shift to work mode. Work for a few hours, play with the kids, laugh, stretch, walk the dog – then work again. See these things as mutually supportive, part of the whole of life, not compartmentalized. Making a home, being with your family, talking to your friends is healthy, positive and is the cornerstone of productivity.

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For some, a simple 2 bedroom home near the beach or on a hillside is the dream home, or a 4 bedroom estate with acreage for others. But once the purchase is complete, you’ll want to find your tribe.

Once my clients tell me their wish list – number of bedrooms, an ocean view versus a valley or beach view, in town, or up on a mountainside – I’m surprised at how many I then have to ask about hobbies, the physical activities they enjoy, and how social they plan to be once settled in.

It’s human nature to be attracted to others with similar interests. Back home in Canada I never thought I would be moving to Costa Rica at 47 years of age, and after picking up a surf board for the first time I would soon become friends with such a broad age demographic. From 25 to 75! Although I felt like I’d discovered something secret, I quickly realized it was more like, “the last one to know.”

Is cooking your passion? Several local and expat chefs immediately come to mind in the Costa Ballena area. Rancho Cielo Alto in Playa Hermosa is one excellent example. Chef Jasmin’s food is a stunning surprise to the palate, made with local ingredients, many of which are grown on the family farm. The experience includes an introduction to each course that creates an anticipation that is quickly rewarded with the first bite. Chef Jasmin is just one of the area chefs that also provides cooking classes. It may seem intimidating at first. Where do I meet people? Is there a hiking club? Does anyone else like to paint rocks or make jewelry? How will my kids make friends? Well, with a little effort on your part it’s actually pretty simple. For starters, just talk to people – total strangers! In the grocery line, at the hardware store, a simple smile and “hello.” Volunteer with a local charity to walk rescue dogs, or at a local wildlife sanctuary, and don’t forget Facebook! Most communities have facebook pages for information – a forum to ask questions. There’s a Bulletin Board page, a Yard Sale page, an LGBTQ Social Networking group page, and many more. All right here in the jungle! So rest assured, even before you sign the closing documents you can easily search out several events and activities that will have you being social before your bags are even unpacked!

Written by Ben Rutherford

Ben Rutherford is a Senior Sales Associate with Blue Zone Realty International. He and his husband moved to the Costa Ballena area in 2013 and quickly started to enjoy a social lifestyle volunteering, playing beach volleyball, enjoying a good pot-luck, and hosting new friends at their home!

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This is truly one of the most special properties on the market. Set in the verdant jungle, in the Baru area of the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Boasting the most spectacular feature the tri-level waterfall and multiple swimming holes. This property embodies the vision of sophisticated Balinese design down to the smallest detail. The seller has made yearly visits to Bali to seek out authentic Balinese art and the property displays this influence in an elegant manner.

Price: $1,550,000
Construction year: 2008
Gross Area: 54,764 m2 | 589,480 ft2 | 5.4764 ha | 13.532 ac

For more information about this property visit Century 21 Ballena Properties website.

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I feel there’s a case to be made for designing a home around the simple act of making coffee (or breakfast) in the morning. For many of us, that’s a ritual. It starts our day, wakes us up, gives us mental and physical energy. Consider what that requires: utility, convenience, resources, space, materials. If we do it daily, why not make it special?

When discussing design with a client, I start with the personal stuff. I’m not nosey, I want to understand their routine. How do they live in the little activities, the simple pleasures? It’s my mindful design philosophy of comfort, texture, quality and craft, in harmony with the things we touch every day and we need to love.

Can you love a drawer pull? A counter top? The faucet and your sink? Each of these small things can feel cheap or luxurious, can be store-bought or hand-made. Are you a chef or a re-heater? Is it dinner for two or twenty? How about a kitchen garden, inside or outside? Vegetables, fruits, herbs, growing alongside natural jungle plants. A little table and chairs, the morning sun on your face, that’s a ritual! Later pick some Cranberry Hibiscus for your salad – thanks Erica (my niece).

A lot of money need not be spent if you’re innovative and creative. In Costa Rica, we have many talented, local craftspeople and artisans who know materials and understand this unique climate. Choose joy, not price.

When we make these things count, we imbue them with meaning, with memory, we honour our rituals and the materials and spaces that support them. Then every day, whether you stumble into the kitchen, or dance in, we can be mindful, connected, and yes, grateful for what makes up our living space, our home.

The post Mindful Design: It’s in the Details appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.

Step 1: Dig the hole

It is important to dig a hole suitable for the size of the root ball. You want to dig a hole
that is wide and shallow. Ideally, the hole will be three times as wide as the diameter of
the root ball and only as deep as its height, so that when it is planted, none of the trunk
is below the soil line. If the hole is too narrow, the roots will not be able to spread and
expand enough to develop a secure anchor for a mature tree.

PRO TIP
If you are in a clay environment scarify the edges of the hole with a pickaxe and you can even mix in the use of sand as drainage.

Step 2: Place the tree and add soil

If the tree has come with its root ball wrapped in a burlap sack, remove the material and
any remnants of twine. If the tree is being transplanted from a container, check that the
roots have not become compressed. If they seem tightly bound to one another, carefully
tease the roots away from one another so that they will spread out in different directions
when they grow (if the tree is planted and the roots are too tightly wrapped up in one
another, they can girdle the tree and effectively strangle it).

Always lift the tree by the root ball and not the trunk. Orientate the tree as you wish,
being aware of where the branches of the mature tree will go. Backfill the hole with good
quality topsoil. Use the soil you removed to dig the hole in the first instance (unless it is
clay), but ensure that it is loosely structured to allow penetration by roots. You can add
well-composted organic material to the soil to help improve its structure, as well as add
nutrients to the soil.

Step 3: Add mulch and water

Mulch is great for soil moisture but BE very sure not to cover the root crown or you will
kill the plant and too much mulch will cause the roots to rot. A newly planted tree should
be well watered. Preferably using harvested rainwater, you should water the tree every
day for two to three weeks to promote it’s growth.

Step 4: Stake if needed

if your tree is fragile, has a thin trunk or may experience strong winds, tie it to a stake to
ensure it grows straight and to provide support. Drive a stake a couple of inches from
the trunk and lash the trunk to it loosely.

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