CATIE

At the CATIE Botanical Garden- different fruits

Coffee

Carbon Neutral transportation

CATIE

Turrialba, Costa Rica

CATIE Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center.  CATIE is responsible for the design of environmental policies not only in Costa Rica but in all of Central and part of South America.  The center also offers Master's degrees and Doctoral degrees.
Costa Rica has been very succesfull at implementing many incentives that have changed and improved the landscape of the country.
In order to achieve their sustainable goals, CATIE is fully compromised in scientific research, educational and technical cooperation.  The results of their research is what influence their public environmental policies.
Part of the overall CATIE campus includes the CATIE Botanical Garden, home of tropical exotic fruits, birds, trees, flowers and many more.  CATIE experimental farms, one for cacao crops, one for annual crops, and 3 for perennial crops.
According to CATIE there are good number of case studies in Costa Rica which include:  Rancho Margot as a self-contained project.  Playa Coyote as an example of sustainable fishing, and Monteverde, which they described at the cradle of sustainability in Costa Rica. 

http://www.catie.ac.cr/magazin_ENG.asp?CodIdioma=ENG
http://www.catie.ac.cr/Comunicacion/B/bol_3_2012_mist_ing/bol_3_2012_mist_ing.asp?CodIdioma=ENG
http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/

Golden Bean Coffee Tour

coffee plantation

coffee trees

Coffee depulping station

pealed coffee beans

sun-drying coffee beans for best quality

Costa Rica Hacienda Real

UTZ Certified

Turrialba, Costa Rica

The coffee tour was given by Tyron Arce.  Coffee is originally from Ethiopia and arrived in America in 1720, 88 years later, coffee arrived in Costa Rica.  Although today, pineapple production is Costa Rica's biggest export, coffee is the most important export.  Costa Rica produces only 100% Arabic coffee, pure and natural.  Costa Rica Hacienda Real follows sustainable farming and harvesting practices.  Hacienda Real holds a certification from UTZ, which monitors sustainable farming of coffee, cocoa and tea.  

Coffee season in the Turrialba Vallery is approximately from August to February.  Once a bean is planted it takes about a month and two weeks for it to become a plant.  According to the tour guide, coffee can produce good levels of coffee for approximately 20 to 30 years.  The full transformation process includes picking the riped coffee beans, coffee reception and measurement, depulping, fermenting, drying, storage, husking and grading, and roasting.  At Hacienda Real coffee is naturally sun dried, the drying the process is the most important stage of the process, since it affects the quality of the green coffee.  

http://www.goldenbean.net/index.aspx

https://www.utzcertified.org/en/aboututzcertified

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_processing

Eco-Observatory

Bird feeding off papaya

open field with different trees to attract birds

Furniture made from one tree trunk

Bamboo

Trail

River

red-orange frog among leaves

View from the owner's house balcony

Iguana

Located on the main road between Tortuguero and Arenal

The tour through the Eco-Observatory was ran by David Ramirez, who along with his father, have owned the property for 25 years.  David holds a degree in Environmental Studies and moved to Costa Rica 4 years ago to start his business.  The Eco-Observatory is composed of different trails which allow the up-close view of different frogs, birds, trees and other species in their natural habitat.
The family's reforestation efforts and the fact that the site neighbors a reserve, the Eco-Observatory is home to approximately 220 bird species.
The Eco-Observatory has been in operation for 1 year and their reforestation efforts and community outreach have earned them a National Geographic destination title. 

http://sarapiquieco-observatory.com/welcome

Rancho Margot

One of the calming and beautiful views at Rancho Margot

Bunkhouse relax and gathering area

another view of bunkhouse relax area

View towards the Bar

Compost area overlooking plant garden

Horse stables

Beto teaching me how to milk cows

Compost

Compost

La Casona

Garden

Bunkhouse

emergency/soccer field

playground

lobby seating area

Rancho Margot

El Castillo, Costa Rica

The beautiful scenery of the bright green mountains, the colorful palette of different flower species, the sound of the birds and the occasional sound of the rivers and waterfalls made the 3.5 hour drive from San Jose to La Fortuna worth every second.  All of the sudden there was a deviation from the paved road, the unexpected 45 minute bumpy, dusty but almost fascinating ride took us to what, in my opinion, was the best part of this class.  It was the arrival to a magical, mystical and even glorious place called Rancho Margot.

Juan Sostheim, bought the property about 8 years ago. His ambition to do something good for this earth, drove him into transforming what was an open field used to graze cattle in what is today known as Rancho Margot. Rancho Margot is more than just a resort, it's a science experiment, it's a place where everything and everyone lives in harmony with nature.  The 400 acre site is a self-contained project, it's a case study on sustainable living.  Despite all the rough times Juan had to obtain the property, his vision overpowered anything that would impede his dream from coming true.

The main idea of the site is permaculture.  Permaculture is a branch of ecological design, ecological engineering, and environmental design which develops sustainable architecture and self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.  Permaculture encapsulates taking care of the earth, taking care of the people and sharing the surplus.  At Rancho Margot, every element flows and connects back with nature.  The place is completely off the grid, produces its own food, own furniture, own soap, energy, electricity and cooking gas.  Water is heated with approximately 20 tons of cow, chicken and horse manure.

Guests can appreciate a comfortable environment with pools, yoga classes 2 times a day, massage, horseback riding and 3 freshly made meals; but aside from all the luxury Rancho Margot has to offer, the main dedication of the project is to teach sustainable principles. Juan is more interested in the educational and research aspect of Rancho Margot and believes that the place has the potential to become a think-tank on sustainability.  

http://www.ranchomargot.com/