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

The post Building Value appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.

With policies stemming from this mindset, Envision Festival has implemented maximum efficiency waste separation as well as massive on-site recycling efforts and the use of composting toilets, all designed to minimize trash going into landfills. In addition to trash and recycling reduction, Envision encourages guests to stay on-site and also organizes shuttles to and from the festival so as to reduce every single traveler’s impact on emissions from vehicles. Beyond waste initiatives, Envision strives to reforest the area by planting trees to build up the land instead of taking away from it. Over the past decade, Envision has planted over 45,000 native trees on the Pacific Coast. “It’s all about restoring the local ecosystem,” says Federico Gutiérrez, a board member and the founder of Costa Verdes, the organization responsible for the tree planting initiatives. “The goal is to bring the animals back to their natural habitats since all the monkeys, turtles and macaws have returned to the beach lines.” As noted by Stephen Brooks, Envision co-founder and owner of a permaculture farm on the Caribbean coast, Punta Mona, “True permaculture is all about mimicking nature. Whoever did it, did a great job.” Really, we only need to look towards nature to find a blueprint.

Currently, seven beaches are under reforestation, and over 6,000 volunteers and 25 local schools are involved to help bring awareness and motivate others to take action. In 2017, Envision Festival implemented a program where people can donate their time cleaning up the beach in exchange for a ticket to the festival. Andres Vargas, a Uvita local who heads the Beach Clean-Up program noted, “At first there were only 18 people who came to help, but last year there were 100.” The movement is gaining momentum. Last year, three and a half tons of garbage between six cleanups were amassed reaching from Isla Garza (Boca Coronado) to Dominical (Río Baru). This year, the goal is to expand the operation all over Costa Rica and collect 10 tones of waste!

Reflecting on Envision Sustainability

If we look at all that has been done, from reforesting coastlines with native trees, to cleaning up the beaches, it’s clear that the next step is to share knowledge. Skilled laborers from around the world come to Envision Festival every year to share all of their wisdom and knowledge around sustainability and permaculture. When you see the same faces and break bread with those you work with, learning goes deeper and becomes a fun family affair. Trading tips and picking up new skills is commonplace for the people who work at the festival.

“Come with an open heart, come with no expectation, come loaded with love and wanting to grow and share.”

Federico Gutiérrez, Envision Festival Board Member

Envision Festival hosts an informal apprenticeship where skilled workers are paired with locals and knowledge sharing becomes a natural course of action. Additionally, Envision provides the perfect grounds for locals to interact and cross-pollinate with culturally-different thought leaders in permaculture and sustainable building practices. Locally, the festival generates around 300 jobs for the community, which has a hugely positive impact on the community. For those who have yet to come and experience Envision Festival for themselves, this is the year to visit. This year’s 10-Year Anniversary is a celebration of how much the festival and Costa Rica community has grown. It’s time to come together and celebrate!

If you want to learn about environmental symbiosis, biodiversity, low impact living, organic
food, and other healthy lifestyle choices, Envision Festival is a world-class place to start.

Here’s to the 10 years! See you there!.

The post Envision Festival’s Grass Roots 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.

The post Tree Planting appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.

Reason 1: Electricity Prices

Living in paradise comes at a hefty price. Powering an entire country on 90% pure renewable energy is funded straight out of your pocket. They have an ascending usage bracket system where you get charged more to burn their clean, nationwide non-fossil fuel-based energy. It’s not fair that keeping your 3,000 square foot villa air-conditioned to a moderate 70°F (21°C) in a tropical jungle climate and running an infinity pool pump day and night should cost more per kWh than your eco-conscious neighbors down the street, or is it?

Reason 2: Humidity and Heat

Get ready to sweat if you live in Costa Rica. A lot. And not just when you’re power
walking on the treadmill at the gym while catching up on Netflix. It’s hot and humid all
year-round, especially near the beaches. Gone are the days when you can
enthusiastically layer on flannel shirts, long johns, wool socks, waterproof fleece-lined
boots, snow pants, a down jacket, sock cap, heavy gloves and a scarf so that you can
scrape the ice off of your snow shell of a vehicle, all for a 5-minute drive to the grocery
store. The only thing we locals put on when it gets cold are socks, so you can kiss your
trendy winter fashion collection goodbye.

Reason 3: Food Choices

Prepare to pay twice as much for a simple brie cheese wheel or organic vegan bacon-
flavored breakfast meat substitute strips, IF you can even find them at a nearby super
mercado. Instead, you’ll be left to choose from a selection of Costa Rican grown in-
season vegetables and fruits, or farm-fresh dairy and meat products. And you can say
sayonara to your favorite convenient ready-made foods like individually wrapped
microwavable “all-natural” frozen omelets for breakfast; there’s only actual hand-
cracked eggs mixed with local veggies and cooked in a pan on the spot for your
foreseeable Pura Vida future. Be forewarned: making a burrito will never be the same,
either. You will always want “gallo pinto” in it from here on out.

Reason 4: Tons of Scary Insects

You’ll never see a crazier or scarier assortment of bugs until you move to Costa Rica.
There are 6-inch flying grasshoppers (aptly called “langostas” or lobsters locally) that
kamikaze towards your head out of nowhere, spiders bigger than your hand and beetles
with tong-like pinchers that will snarkily give you the middle tarsus when you pull out
bug spray. Who would’ve thought of being in a country with 6% of the world’s biodiversity
would include so many insects and such a diverse food chain? Truly, seeing a few of
these creepy crawlies a year doesn’t make it worth the daily experience of watching
scarlet macaws, amusing monkeys, colorful toucans, nimble jungle cats, pizotes or
shiny blue morpho butterflies pass by your patio on any given afternoon.

Conclusion

If you’ve managed to look at all of these daily hurdles to life in Costa Rica and can still
embrace the positive aspects, then you might be able to endure it in the long-term.
Getting the most out of living here means appreciating the good, along with the not-so-
bad, and keeping things in perspective, especially on the surprise scorpion in your
shorts days.

The post 4 Reasons Costa Rica Isn’t Greener – Have a laugh! appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.