Sanctuary in the Sun

Monday, January 12^th

Hotel Double Tree Cariari- San Jose

            We arrived in San Juan a little it before 2 pm on Monday, January 12^th. Exhausted but excited to begin our journey, we left the airport with high spirits. Before we stepped foot on Hotel Double Tree’s wonderful grounds, we ventured through San Jose via bus. Our tour guide Manual and our bus driver Carlos led us on a sightseeing tour through the streets of San Jose. We saw the national theatre, jade museum, the national stadium and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Nuestra Terra.

             We arrived at the Hotel Double Tree- Cariari in the early evening. After 12 hours of travel, the open-air lobby, complimentary cookie, and Wi-Fi, this hotel felt like a sanctuary. That evening we enjoyed a delicious welcome dinner and the company of our peers. The next morning we awoke to a beautiful pool view, including a cabana and a poolside bar. In all, the hotel served us great as a San Jose hub. From this hotel we travelled throughout much of the central valley including coffee plantations such as Dota and Espirito Santo and we enjoyed a fruit tour in the Los Santos Region.

             Fun Facts:

The hotel has a Casino

It also has an excellent exercise facility

Sustainability

             In regards to sustainability, the Double Tree was a good indicator of what we grew used to in Costa Rica. There was great commitment to the community, both economically and environmentally.  One thing in particular that drew my attention about this hotel is their 4 out of 5 level of sustainability according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board. This is a good mark considering that the best level is a 5. One might wonder, in what ways and through what means does a hotel become more efficient or act more sustainability.

            In the hotel rooms, I noticed a key in the holder, that when taken out, shuts all power in the room. This is a method done in many parts of the world and is an effective way to mitigate needless emissions and pollution. The hotel is also designed in the traditional hacienda Costa Rican style, which through its tile floors, high ceilings and archways, keeps the rooms cool. This is a way the hotel is removes energy costs and use from cooling the building. 
           This hotel was a great introduction to the different levels of sustainability as well as the culture of the Costa Rican people. I hope one day to return to this hotel and investigate San Jose even more!

Marco Addonizio

Meat & Pickles!

As many of my classmates have posted, the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market is an unexpected community of wonderful people and even better goods. It is located at 1005 Main St, Pawtucket, RI, and the venue is massive, featuring local food trucks that use local ingredients from all of the vendors. Two large hallways are packed with a variety of vendors of sustainable goods. I had the pleasure of speaking with a handful of these vendors about their sustainability and how their supply chain is local.

Fox Point Pickling

I met a local pickler named Ziggy, who followed his dream of making pickles. He founded Fox Point Pickling Company, and he conducts his business by making pickles on the weekends, and giving out samples of different types of pickles during the week. He makes two different kinds of pickles, dill and spicy dill, but continues to revise the recipes all the time in order to make them perfect. When he isn’t making pickles, he works for the local food vendors dropping off food to local supermarkets, keeping him in touch with the agricultural community. He recently won two awards at the pickle convention in New York City, and Bryant students have taught him how to handle his company's finances. His wife, who is in this picture, helps him sell pickles at the market.

Daniele Inc

After talking with Ziggy I met the distributors from Daniele, Inc. The local family has been making charcuterie in America for over fifty years, but they continue to be family-owned and operated since moving here from Northern Italy. They are extremely friendly at their table, just like the rest of the community. They offer plenty of samples to try and professionally sealed packaging of all sorts of meats from prosciutto to chorizo. They kept all of their farmers local and are able to ship all through out the U.S. and around the world.

FUN FACT:
Daniele, Inc won the Good Food Award for a new line of artisan charcuterie.




If you have not had the pleasure of trying either Daniele specialty meats or Fox Point Pickles, I strongly urge you to head out to the Wintertime Farmers Market this weekend to explore and taste for yourself. I personally will be going back because there are more incredible people to interact with. It is important for communities to support sustainable and local businesses.

Before you head out this weekend to the Farmers Market, make you sure you continue to read this blog to learn more about our experiences and different vendors. Also, continue to follow our blog as we will be posting while we are in Costa Rica exploring more sustainable companies and supply chains.

I will also be posting more information on my Twitter account for my personal experience down south.

Cheers,
Jake Lamar (@jakelamar29)

Bryant University's Sustainability Marketing 421 course

Hello and welcome to the Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 421 course! We are excited to embark on our third journey to Costa Rica on January 12, 2015.

Starting January 5th, our students will share their experiences in the US and Costa Rica. They will comment on topics such as how sustainability efforts regarding energy, agriculture, waste, ecotourism, water, etc are communicated in multiple industries such as coffee, bananas, chocolate, and hotels.

We can't wait to start sharing! Follow us and learn more!

Stay tuned and find us on Twitter: @Bryantmkt421