Urban Farming

By Ryan,

These photos represent ideas which anyone can put into place to become more sustainable.  This form of sustainability starts with producing your own food.  In the US the average distance that food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.  That involves a huge amount of petroleum and reducing those "food miles" is one way everyone can have an impact on reducing their carbon footprint...not to mention the benefits of growing chemical free food that doesn't require large amounts of packaging and processing and is definitely fresher and in turn richer in nutrients and vitamins.  In the urban landscape, food production is scarce and cities are considered food deserts.  It only takes a small space to grow food, and it can start in your backyard or front porch or windowsill.

In these photos you'll see how Earth University students are implementing techniques such as vertical planters, hyrdroponics, and raised beds, to name a few.  Check it out... take action! Plant a seed!  Sustainability can start with affecting how you sustain yourself!

Eye Contact

My name is Dani Ryan and I am one of the students from City High who accompanied Mrs. Osborn and Mr. Huppert to Costa Rica in order to learn about sustainability.  I'm really glad to be home, but now that I'm here I can't help day dreaming about when I will get to go back and visit all of the amazing people I got to meet. The families and students that were so patient with my Spanish and so accepted me so graciously into their homes have made a huge impact on how I view the world.  Not only have I learned about new ways to maintain a garden or enlarged my vocabulary, but I've learned how important communication is.  The best example I can provide is probably my cell phone.  Before I left for Costa Rica I have to admit I was glued to it.  I hardly ever sat down with my parents and just had a conversation with them with out having to stop every few minutes to send a text.  I left my phone in the U.S. while I was in Costa Rica and talking to everyone without my phone in my hands really made me realize how much I was missing when my eyes were glued to the phone screen.  I was having a better conversation with people I had just met that didn't speak the same language as me than my own mother.  That sounds so silly to write about in a blog but it was kind of a big deal to me, and I think it would relate to a lot of teenagers and adults alike.  The time has come for me to put my phone away and make some much needed eye contact -because that is half the battle of communication. 

A Walk Around the Farm of Doña Ana

by Carl Uzarski

Two days ago (Friday) we went to a small family farm near Earth University. The lady who lives there and runs the farm is named Doña Ana. She showed us around the diverse plants she grows and explained the uses for some of the medicinal plants. We got to try cacao beans (cocoa beans) - well not actually the beans, but the slimey substance around the beans. It's sort of sour and sweet, a little like lemonade. What you do is grab a cacao bean out of the pod and just suck on the gel sticking to bean. You don't chew on or eat the cacao bean itself. Then we each got a pretty substancial chunk of sugarcane to chew on. You just chew on the sugarcane to squeeze the juice out - the cane itself is too hard and chewy to eat. It's not an intense sweetness like what I think I had subconsciously assumed it would be, but, instead, it was watery with a gentle sweetness. If I remember the Blandford days correctly, fresh (un-boiled-down) maple sap tastes a lot like what the sugarcane juice tasted like. I think I heard that we get most of our sugar in the United States from beets, whereas Costa Rica gets most of its sugar from sugarcane.
I wasn't really thinking about it while we were at the farm, but afterwards I remembered that when I was younger I really wanted to try pure sugercane. I had imagined that the sugarcane was just a woody straw filled with intensely sweet liquid. It's actually not like that, but it's still pretty cool to think that I've tried raw sugarcane, freshly chopped from its roots with a machete. So that's another childhood goal I've meet now (growing a beard as soon as I could was another of my childhood goals). So we'll be heading back to the USA early tomorrow morning. It's definitely been a worthwhile trip for me.

Caribbean Images

Lowalnd rainforest of Costa Rica, very near the point where Columbus first set foot on the Americas.  We spent the day in Cahuita National Park.  The national park systems is partially run on donations by visitors, we gave our share and got much more in return than we spent! 
-Ryan

living la pura vida, by Grant K.

so we are here on our last day sitting around just having a random conversation smiling at each other and reflecting on the day, Ryan is packing up. Nick found a couch that almost fits him. Pura vida. we know we have to get up at 4:30 but we just enjoy each others company too much to give up this moment. This is the lesson i hope to take back to the states. Putting others relationships before your own needs. Doing what makes you happy because it does. Drinking coke with new friends. These are a happy people, and these are a people i envy. I love our culture as a US citizen its something i am proud to be apart of, but the need for materials the needs for things is just appalingly unnecisary. I am not even spell checking because i know it doesnt matter. all that matters is i am enjoying this post and having a good time. I wanna bring back this true happiness and infect my community with enjoyment. Pura vida

Pura Vida By Lindsay Klomparens

Upon leaving for this trip I had no expectations. I had a hope of discovering new people, places, things, and ideas. Out of the many things I learned on this trip, one stuck out to me. One phrase; Pura Vida. Direct translation, "pure life." At the beginning of this trip, we were all introduced to this phrase and given the word's direct translation. We were encouraged to use it but interpret it in our own way. To me Pura Vida means community, family, and happiness. Take nothing for granted. Make the best choices for not only yourself but for those around you. Be trusting. "Want what you have, don't have what you want." Form a family and a life with exactly what you have and who is around you. Live life as it comes and to the fullest. Just this one phrase has done so much for me. A few words of advice: Accept it. Share it.

By Nick Maodush-Pitzer

It is hard to describe in words what we have experienced this week in Costa Rica. We have done so much in the little amount of time that we have spent here, that it would be impossible to relay in one short blog post what we have seen and learned while traversing Costa Rica in just one week. What makes it difficult to explain in words, I think, is the fact that what we have learned has not been in word-form. What we have seen is that the Costa Rican people care too much about the environment and nature to solely say what they would like to do to see an improvement in how they live. No. They go beyond empty promises. Their dedication to improving the planet for future generations is shown in the work that is done here, not just what is written on paper. The initiative that these people have is extraordinary, and should be a model for how the rest of the world operates. And not only do they have many plans in-place and active, they also have incredible understanding of how their work affects the work of the neighbors as well as the rest of the world. It's uncanny how much the people understand the importance of acting locally while still thinking globally. They know that the future of the world cannot be protected solely by saying big things and acting in ways that are meant to affect millions of people at a time. One aspect I have learned about living the "Pura Vida" is that change does not have to start on such a grand scale, and it is impossible to help the whole world in a matter of seconds. Rather, the most effective way to spread your knowledge and care for the world is to first be aware of the needs of your immediate surroundings, and focus on correcting those problems. Eventually your ideas will grow, and spread throughout other communities, until multiple communities are contributing towards a common goal. We, as students eager to learn, are seeds of change. And in knowing what "Pura Vida" means, we are able to understand that the seed will not blossom in one day, and we must take life one day at a time, and slowly we will see that our small ideas can create big dividends for our world.

Parrots (Loros), Hummingbirds (Colibris), and Howler monkeys (Monos Congos)!

Animals of Costa Rica's Carribean lowalnds.  Some fly, some climb, some talk, and they all amaze!  The biodiversity of this small country is truly a marvel.  We have all added many new species to our list of plants and animals that we have seen.  Costa Ricans are doing much to continue to sustain the rich ecosystems which make up their natural land.  Over 30% of the nation is protected permanently in parks and reserves.  Sustainability is a concept that applies to all species here, not only humans.

EARTH University- Sustainability and the Carribean Lowlands

By Ryan....

Now on the Carribean side of the central range we are in a much more humid climate, home to EARTH University's main campus near Guacimo.  Having been staying on the campus we are being introduced to a multitude of different projects and work that students, professors, researchers, and community members are involved in that all have to do with sustainability in the tropics.  Sustainability focused work we have seen inaction ranges from organically grown food products, like chocolate covered pineapple, to organic salsas, to agriculture in action in the community in the form of organic cooperatives which are focused on utilizing all their resources (ReduceReuseRecycleRepurposeRethink) to close the resource circle and eliminate waste while reducing their footprint on the Earth.
Lots of innovative projects being implemented on campus and in the community include the triple bottom line of true sustainability....economic, social, and environmental sustainability.


The following sre some more examples of these projects: Biodigesters which use animal waste to create methane gas for home appliances, organic/medicinal soaps made from native plants and reused vegetable oil waste, vermicomposting utilizing waste products from home and farm to create organic fertilizers,  repurposed soda bottles to create self-watering raised beds, just to name a few examples seen at one small farm on a local women's organic farming cooperative.

The Ring of Fire

By Ryan...

The last 2 days we have had the opportunity to visit 2 active volcanoes in CR, Arenal and Poas.  Not to mention several other volcanoes in Costa Rica's Ring of Fire which we have driven passed on our tour.   Both Arenal and Poas have activity 24-7-365, which includes smoke, vapor, at times tremors and lava flows (though not while we were here), geo-thermal springs ( which we did get to soak in!), bubbling craters, sulfur vapors, fumaroles, and an exciting intensity  that comes from deep within the earth!


Che filmed this footage at Volcan Poas today!  The sulfur vapors from the bubbling crater made us cough and choke at times!  While the views of the crater right below humbled us....

Sustainability is a key focus of the government in CR and this can be seen in its energy producing technology.  CR is now taking advantage of geo-thermal energy by harnessing the volcanic heat to generate electricity through steam driven generators which are located at fumaroles on several volcanoes.  We had the opportunity to see some of these on Volcan Miravalles.  Along side these sustainable power plants are fields of wind turbines on the flanks of Volcan Rincon de la Vieja.  Inspiring to see such sustainable energy practices in action!!!

The Last Few Days

Still Hannah here!

After our painting adventures, we headed back to La Finca Anita, where Pablo and his really sweet machete went at a palm tree, and he taught us how to prepare a salad using the palm core. It was sweet!

Later, he took us out into his farm and toured us around his many crops, telling us all about Costa Rica, agriculture, and tons of other stuff. We saw lots of cool things, like a Montezuma bird, whose call sound like a shoe squeaking to me, and a cacao plant.

That night was one of my best experiences so far. We went out into the village and ate dinner with local families.Although we split up, we all ended up in the family of a student at the local school, Alejandra. They were warm and welcomed each of us with a hug and a kiss, and the night ended up with a spontaneous group hug initiated by Grant [how pura vida!] along with myself and Papi salsa dancing in the kitchen. The girl, Alejandra, had each of us leave a little note with our name and email address, so we could keep in touch as pen pals. The night was surely as special for her as it was for us.

The next morning, sadly we had to leave La Finca Anita. Pablo and Anna were wonderful hosts, and we will all miss waking up to the sounds of the rainforest, their silly dogs that followed us everywhere, the kind town, Pablo and his machete, the amazing birds, and all of the fun we had there.

All for now! Mas tardes!

Nickname time

Hola! Esta Hannah aqui.

So, since we've been here, Pat and Ryan have been giving us all some muy bien nicknames. Por ejemplo...

Hannah, aka me, was immediately given the name macha, meaning white foreigner. Pat gave me this name immediately after sitting down on the plane, but today it has been changed to machita, since several Tikos yelled out "Machita guapa! Machita lista!" at me today in San Jose. I've also been called "Hannah Montanna" a lot, since Costa Ricans have trouble saying the word Hannah until they recognize where they have heard it.

Allison is now La Princessa, after riding in the front of a four wheeler in La Finca Anita "like a princess" as profe said.

Carl has several nicknames. Mi favorito es "Clean Plate Carl" since he always demolishes his casado at dinner..and lunch....and breakfast. But he is also called "Che" because of some mishaps on pronouncing his name. And "Charlie" for the same reason.

Grant is none other than our own "Pura Vida!" for not reason other than shouting that out at everything great in Costa Rica.

Nick is pequeno, or "small" after being jokingly called that by one of our travel guides. Es cierto, Nick esta muy pequeno.

And for the rest of the group...we'll just have to keep you posted! Pura vida!

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica!

The team of 8 students and 2 professors consists of students Hannah, Lindsay, Alison, Danielle, Nick, Carl, Grant, and Eric along with professors Ryan and Pat.

A smooth flight over the Carribean and across Central America took us over Lake Nicaragua to land in Liberia, Guanacaste on the west coast of Costa Rica.  Our guides Ronaldo and Mario met us at the airport and helped us to get on our way.  We headed in the van to get lunch and supplies and then out the National Park of Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa is located in the largest remaining dry tropical forest in the western hemisphere. This amazing hot and dry  ecosystem is home to 5% of the world's biodiversity.  For example, there are over 10,000 species of moths within the national park alone!

There we were taken on a tour of La Casona, a historical fort where Costa Rica defended its independence against a group of filibusters in the 1850s.

After leaving the park we headed to la Finca Anita, a biodiverse farm located in the humid tropical forest where we are staying 2 nights with plans of doing community service by painting a school building.

Everyone is good spirits and excited to continue the journey into the heart of this beautiful and peaceful Central American country.

Count down to Costa Rica

Lots of final preparations being made for the first annual City High Middle Costa Rican trip.  Excitement is building....!  8 days of Pura Vida awaits for 8 City High Midlle students and 2 staff!