"Ticos & Ticas" Do It Better

Traveling to Costa Rica was an amazing experience. It was wonderful to travel with my school because we didn't do the “usual tourist” attractions. I enjoyed every piece of Costa Rica. Being that this was my first international trip I was so excited to get there and had all intentions of capturing every moment.

In a week’s span we visited over 10 different locations and had the opportunity of speaking with so many locals that were passionate about their country. From the multiple farms/plantations, hotels, and markets we visited to learning about the culture of the country; It was such a remarkable time and I can't wait to go back.

(Video to the right is from the Tirimbina Biological Reserve Chocolate Tour)

Poster at the Tirimbina Biological Reserve 

I enjoyed learning about the Costa Rican history, their methods of sustainability, how they promote ecotourism, and the food; but what I enjoyed most were the locals. After speaking to many locals in multiple different cities and regions of the country, I learned that they all have one thing in common. They all love their country and work hard to preserve their culture and land.

The Costa Rican people a.k.a. “Ticos & Ticas” work tirelessly to protect their culture and way of living. They pride themselves in coexisting with the environment to keep Costa Rica beautiful and flourishing. I understand why “ticos” are called the happiest people in the world because that is genuinely what they are. Everyone we met was very pleasant to talk to. Our tour guide Miguel a.k.a. Miguelito was always in high spirits and continuously teaching us, the methods of how to live sustainable. The “ticos” are very motivating people. They strive to educate tourist on their country, how they can help benefit, and how to protect the land. They are very eager to show off the beauty of Costa Rica. 

This trip to Costa Rica not only taught me how to be sustainable and how to make sustainable decisions but also taught me how to care about my community. Since being back in the United States, I am actively trying to practice sustainability in multiple ways. I now look to purchase fair trade products, shop with-in my local community, and even shut off or unplug electronics when not in use to conserve energy. Costa Rica has taught me that it’s the little things that matter.

Follow us on twitter: @BryantMKT421

~T.E.A.

Ready, Set, SUSTAIN!

Over winter break I had the opportunity to embark on a unique journey. I enrolled in a class through Bryant that allowed students the opportunity to learn about sustainability marketing in an entirely different way. Our class consisted of traveling to Costa Rica, one of the top five most sustainable country's in the world. 20 Students and 2 Professors journeyed through the beautiful country as we experienced and gained an entirely new perspective about the world around us. We stayed in four different hotels, four different areas of the country and learned about the culture and environment around us.

Our first stop was San Jose. Here we went to Coffee Plantations and learned all about the process of coffee being made, roasted, processed, packaged and sold. Something I was very interested in learning about considering my coffee addiction. (Fun fact, coffee beans come from the cherry plant) From there we went on a Fruit Tour Hike! All of were able to try all of the local grown fruits, most of which had a sour or very odd taste, and from there we were able to hike all the way up the mountain in which the fruit actually grew! Our guide was a pro, wearing jeans, a long sleeve button down and loafers made it to the top before any of us, who by the way were wearing gym clothes and sneakers.

Our next stop was Arenal, this is where the VOLCANO is located. Here we got to go on a local fruit / vegetable tour. Where we again learned how they were doing their part in being sustainable. We got to try all the different tasting foods, as well as help to cut down some dead trees, and make some juices!

From here we traveled quite a bit to our next stop in Torteguero. THE RAIN FOREST!

Canal Tour - Torteguero

We had to take a canal boat just to get to the island, here was a place unlike any other we'd seen. Everything was outdoor, anywhere you wanted to get to was by foot, bike or boat. There were no cars! There was also a beach on the back side of our hotel. The sand was a dark brown color, almost clay like, that sparkled in the sun. It was gorgeous, unfortunately though because it was the rainforest it began to down pour, and continued until we left. Don't worry though, it doesn't stop the locals, we still went on a OPEN ROOF canal boat tour of the rainforest. Most of the animals were hiding in shelter but we got to see the occasional
lizard or sloth. In Torteguero we also had the chance to go zip lining through the forests, and yes there were monkeys swinging from trees!

Raking coffee beans

Our last stop was Sarapiqui, here we got to learn about and visit another coffee plantation, banana farm, and chocolate plantation! Obviously we got samples of all, and yes you guessed it the chocolate was my favorite! But surprisingly enough, I didn't enjoy the taste of chocolate until sugar and cinnamon were added and it was in its creamy liquid form! Here we also got to go white water rafting, another first of mine. We all had a blast and for the most part stayed in our rafts, which was an accomplishment in itself.

Now I know I told you all about the fun things we did but we really did learn so much and this trip had a huge impact on our perspective and appreciation for our environment. We are more than excited to continue to share our trip, the resources, tips and tricks on how to be sustainable and keep our environment in tact. Our hope is to eventually change the culture on campus and get everyone to be as sustainable and educated as possible!

MKT412 Group 2015

To hear more about our trip and continue to learn about sustainability follow us on twitter @BRYANTMKT412

-Madison Lichtmann

Melissa is my Costa Rican name

Costa Rica was an unbelievable experience for me and I learned so much after the trip.  One of the things I miss the most is the fresh squeezed juice and the food.  Everything was fresh and all the food was grown locally.  I can understand why Costa Rica is the happiest place on Earth after meeting so many great people on this trip and a fun fact that separates Costa Rica from other countries is that they do not have a military.  

I like that Costa Rica incorporates sustainable practices into their daily lifestyle.  For example all the farms that we went to used natural organic fertilizer (Bocachi compost) this does not produce any green house gas and everywhere we go there are more than one trash can, each trash can is for different waste products.  In the US, this is not a common practice and I think this should be incorporated here as well because we produce so much waste. 

One thing that truly stuck out to me is the fact that is was normal incorporating sustainable practices into their daily lives.  In the US, it is not a practice that everyone tries to do and think this is something we need to work on more.  I believe everyone should visit Costs Rica because we all need to start caring about the Earth and try to be more sustainable.  If order to experience the real Costa Rican life style, you should try to support the locals by staying in smaller hotels instead of resorts.  This was my second time visiting Costa Rica and I made the first mistake by staying in a Resort.  I did not leave the resort, so I never got to travel and see what Costa Rica had to offer.  Going again truly amazed me and I wish never stayed in a resort the first time I went to Costa Rica.  This trip has truly brought me out of my comfort zone because I did not know anyone on this trip.  I made so many great friends to share the fun experiences we had during out trip in Costa Rica.  I was able to go white water rafting, which I have never done before and it was an unforgettable experience. 

Not only did I learn how to be more sustainable, but also I learned some survival skills in the rain forest.  For example, when we were in Tortuguero our tour guide showed us a vine that grows on the trees in the rain forest and if you rub it on your body it becomes a natural form of bug repellant. I even got use this skill when we went on the Cacao farm because there were so many mosquitoes around us.

This one of the best trips I have been on and could not ask for better people to experience it with.  I became more sustainable and I try to influence the people around me to be more sustainable as well.  If I could I would go back on this trip again!! Thanks everyone for following us here and our Twitter @BryantMKT421

Pura Vida!!!

Ellissa Cho

Aka Melissa

@_ECHO____

CoopeDota Coffee Tour

Our first coffee experience began at CoopeDota Plantation Grounds in Santa Maria de Dota. Founded on October 14, 1960 by 96 producers, CoopeDota cooperative is located on the North side of the Plaza de Deportes, Santa María de Dota and centered in the Tarrazu coffee region.

The Tarrazú region is divided into 3 coffee counties: Dota, San Marcos de Tarrazú and León Cortes. Agriculture in Santa Maria is 100% dedicated to producing only coffee.

Coffee Production

Coffee bean production in CoopeDota goes through many steps.

• Coffee cherries are picked from the coffee plants by local farm families. They are then transported to the CoopeDota facility.

• Once the cherries arrive at CoopeDota, they are weighed and sorted between first and second quality.

•  The coffee cherries are washed and stripped of the skin and pulp.

• The coffee beans are then dried. CoopeDota has three techniques to dry coffee:
• Sun Drying
• Rotary Drying
• Oven Drying

• After the coffee bean is dry, they sit in either wood  or metal silos to de-stress. From here they are stripped of the parchment coat.

• The next step for the bean is either roasted and packaged or placed in a burlap sack for export.

     Sustainability 

• Waste water from the fermentation process is reused and turned into ethanol.  The ethanol is used to power vehicles in Costa Rica.  

•  Coffee bean honey, pulp, and skin are used as fertilizers in the plantation and also given to local farms.

• The parchment skin from the bean is used in the ovens as a fuel and has replaced the use of fire wood.    

Cherry pulp and skin.

Parchment "skin"

Community

CoopeDota uses multiple sustainable practices. They pride themselves in using all products from the coffee plant, cherry, and production process.

• CoopeDota employs only local residents of the Los Santos. Area. They use their website to post and promote events and news in the Los Santos area.

• CoopeDota offers a Barista training program and sells farmers all the tools they need to have success in growing and picking coffee cherries.

• CoopeDota  works with local tour agencies such as SantosTours. They both reinforce and contribute to the growth of social, economic, and cultural activities in the community.

     

~T.E.A