Raegan- three days before we left for this trip, Meghan and I gave a presentation in class on sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. We discussed ecotourism and how “ecolodges” are popping up all over the country. It was very interesting to relate all of those concepts that we learned to Costa Rica, and see it first hand.
Tourism accounts for a massive amount of Costa Rica’s GDP, and it’s easily its number one industry. People come to Costa Rica in the hopes to see its biodiversity and become close to nature. That being said, it is imperative that tourism is done in a way that preserves the beauty that tourists come to see. In order to do this, “ecolodges” have become the newest fad. In order to be an ecolodge, there must be an effort to recycle, reuse, manage waste and water, and use renewable energy. Ecolodges are often found in the middle of rainforests or near waterfalls, but they are not permitted to disrupt any wildlife or the ecosystem in anyway. We were very, very fortunate to stay in multiple ecolodge systems, at the POC and at Fernando’s projects. Both of these systems composted, reused in multiple ways, and managed water intensely. It was common for our water to be heated via solar panels, our waste to be turned into gas, and candles to be used to light our adventures at night.
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The UpdatesEach week there will be a new post to the blog, that will highlight our students and there projects. It will also give weekly announcements. Archives
May 2019
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