A Pura Vida life is a life for me!

Pura Vida.

A simple Spanish phrase that translates to Pure Life, has great meaning.

In Costa Rica, Pura Vida is more than a way to say hello, but how are you and how is your life going? Not only is it a greeting between Costa Ricans but it is their way of life. Some of the most important takeaways from our visit to the different areas of Costa Rica was noticing how the locals treat their environment, interact within their communities and place an emphasis on sustainability. It's no wonder why Costa Rica ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world!

I can honestly say this trip has had an impact on the way that I think about sustainability and I am currently working towards having a "Pura Vida."

After having the opportunity to interact with locals, whether it be at Don Juan farm in Arena or La Quinta Inn in Sarapiqui, I began to apply changes to my lifestyle to be more sustainable and eco-friendly towards my environment. Below are some examples as to how I have done so:

 Our trip has helped me realize how important it is to give back to the community to help maintain small, local shops and farmers. In addition, I have been more mindful when it comes to recycling waste and reducing the amount of plastic I use throughout my daily life. While these are small changes, they are a start. By incorporating these changes into my life, I hope to influence others to do the same and therefore begin reducing our combined ecological footprint to help create a better environment that can be sustained for future generations.

Just like the Costa Ricans, I hope that someday we too will be able to say "Pura Vida" to everyone we encounter throughout our daily lives.

-Tayla Benoit (@TaylaBenoit)

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