SustainaBulldogs

Our group had an amazing time exploring, learning, and bonding with each other as we climbed up mountains, rafted through rivers, traipsed across farms, and let’s not forget enduring those long bus rides! After being back from our trip for an entire semester now, it is easy for our memories to fade and to forget the sustainability practices that we observed and learned while in Costa Rica. However, it is important to keep these ideas in mind and spread the word on the benefits of being sustainable.

Being sustainable gives back to the environment and supports the land that provides for us, but it also enhances the natural beauty of the area. We observed countless beautiful views, in dark and light, sunshine and rain that derived from the community caring for nature. The people of Costa Rica were passionate about preserving their land and planting many of their own fruits and vegetables. At Don Juan, we explored the farm and sampled their organic produce in juices while admiring the lushness of the gardens. In Costa Rica, families and communities work together to sustain themselves and help one another. Bryant students, staff, and faculty can do the same, as we are one community that can help each other, as well as our environment.

We noticed many simple ways that encourage eco-friendly behavior. Often times, actions that seem small can truly make a difference, such as recycling paper and plastic instead of throwing them away, composting food waste, buying local products and supporting local farms. These behaviors are taught in the Costa Rican culture through their education systems to instill this importance of sustainability at a young age, and it is something that other countries, including the United States, could consider. After visiting several coffee plantations, we had the opportunity to plant coffee trees to harvest in the future!

Ultimately, we learned how sustainable practices add to a country's beauty, small changes can yield big results, and knowledge is key in making a difference. We are now ambassadors of sustainability, and it is our prerogative to pass on the knowledge that we learned in Costa Rica. We are a team of sustainable bulldogs! Pura Vida!

Keep up to date on the latest sustainability news and events on social media:

Twitter: @SustainBryant

Facebook: Sustainability at Bryant

Email: sustainability@bryant.edu

To learn more, visit: http://www.bryant.edu/about/sustainability/

Author: Bridgette Kosek

Follow me on Twitter! @BridgetteKosek

Stay up to date with all of our activities by following @BryantMKT421 on Twitter!

Tirimbina Chocolate Tour

In Sarapiqui, we visited the Tirimbina Rainforest Center where they hold chocolate plantation tours deep in the woods. Upon our arrival, we walked thirty minutes deep into the woods on a suspension bridge that went across the Sarapiqui River (where we went white water rafting earlier that day). This chocolate plantation operates as a nonprofit company and privately owns and protects 350 acres of land. This land is not used for commercial chocolate production; it is reserved with the purpose of educating tourists about traditional coffee cultivating processes. This traditional cultivation is friendly to the environment and aids in the conservation of cacao plants. We spent two hours watching and learning about this traditional process.

The first step in the production of chocolate is to collect the orange fruit shown here, which is known as a pod. The pod is carefully broken open to reveal about 30 beans, which are white in color and slimy in texture. The next few steps are very similar to the coffee production process, as the white pulp is removed from the outside and beans are fermented, dried, and roasted. Fermentation reduces the bitterness of the beans and usually takes seven days, and then the beans are dried in the small drying house shown above. If it is raining the beans are kept under the roof, but when the sun is shining the beans are rolled out into the sun. Naturally the beans are 60% water, but after the drying process they are reduced to 5-10% water. You can tell if the beans are dry by cracking it open; dry beans will be brown and smell like cocoa while beans that are still wet will be purple). Next the beans are roasted in the oven in order to remove bacteria, get any remaining water out, make the shell easier to remove, and develop a better smell. Once the shell is removed, the bean becomes known as a nib.

Next comes the grinding process. We saw Giovanni grind the cocoa beans by hand using a mortar and pestle in the traditional fashion, but commercial chocolate producers will use machines to grind the

beans much finer. The grinding process removes the fat from the cocoa beans and creates a gooey mess. After the cocoa is ground and turned into cocoa liquor, there are two different production options. In order to make chocolate bars, cocoa liquor is refined, sugar is added, then conching and tempering occur. Conching is the process of mixing the cocoa for 72 hours to make it smooth. Tempering is when chocolate is heated to 45 Celsius, mixed to melt it completely, then lowered to 32 Celsius so that cocoa butter will crystallize and become shiny. The chocolate is put into a mold to harden and becomes a chocolate bar. The other production option includes pressing the cocoa liquor to create cocoa butter, which has multiple uses, and a cocoa presscake. The presscake is ground and turned into cocoa powder, which can be used to make cookies, cake, ice cream, and drinks.

Fun Facts
- Before 1519, cocoa powder was mixed with vanilla, chili, and corn to make a thick and spicy chocolate drink. In 1519, nuns brought sugar and cinnamon to Central America and revolutionized the chocolate industry.
- Cocoa stimulates serotonin production in the brain and makes your happier.
- The chocolate bar was created in 1847 but did not sell well until the industrial revolution because it was too grainy when ground by hand.
- Cocoa seeds used to be used as currency. A tomato cost 1 bean, an avocado cost 3 beans, a slave cost 100 beans, and a turkey cost 200 beans.


- Kasey Mazza (@kaseymazza)

Sustainability at Bryant University

At Bryant, not only are our top-ranked business programs aligned to the needs of industry and society, but our university is also making strides towards becoming more environmentally friendly! Our campus-wide initiatives focus overall on planning and policy, education and action, and operations. These ideas integrate strategies in leadership and decision making with an efficient use of resources while building an understanding, deepening knowledge, and inspiring careers.

We try to apply these subject matters across ten major areas, including:

• Academics and research
• Energy
• Buildings and land use
• Health and wellness
• Food and dining
• Supply chain management
• Transportation
• Waste reduction and recycling
• Water
• Community engagement 

The Sustainability Committee is headed by Dr. Gaytha Langlois, Ph.D., of the Department of Science and Technology, and guides the process and campus engagement, as well as holds the Bryant community accountable. It is facilitated by EcoMotionInc., a company with more than 30 years of experience developing sustainability initiatives for campuses, cities and corporate communities.

We have several organizations on campus that are involved in maintaining our environmental awareness, including Bryant Enactus' Green Team, the Bryant Environmental Society, the Scientific Community Initiative (a student club that promotes sustainability on and off campus through events, outreach, and collaborations), and the Community Activism and Leadership Organization (CALO) that focuses on directing student effort toward social good. The Bryant University Green Initiative primarily focuses on finding sustainable solutions to environmental challenges and opportunities on campus and in the surrounding community. Additionally, students and faculty collaborate in ongoing academic and research opportunities in immersive programs, outdoor field studies, and internships.

Bryant currently offers 13 courses with a direct focus on sustainability, and 43 courses that are related to sustainability. Campus energy costs are approximately 2% of the entire University budget. Bryant continues to explore opportunities for energy conservation and green buildings as we are currently considering green roofs on campus and means to better measure energy and water consumption. We have taken steps towards sustainability through reaching out to students to make small changes in their daily lives that can lead to major results, such as recycling, saving water, promoting non-wasteful behavior, and offering programs for mental and physical health. We have recently installed water filtration refill systems that allow students to fill water bottles with purified water in order to decrease plastic waste! We encourage students to practice eco-friendly transportation, like taking the RIPTA, using a ZipCar, and carpooling. Bryant strives to coordinate projects with the local community, support community service, increase social media activity and webpage viewership, and host events in order to exchange best practices with other organizations. The University is also considering holding a Farmers Market on campus for students to purchase local goods!

Our Sustainability Plan 2014 explains in further detail the University actions towards preservation of resources and sustainability. 

 

Keep up to date on the latest sustainability news and events on social media:

Twitter: @SustainBryant

Facebook: Sustainability at Bryant

Email: sustainability@bryant.edu 

To learn more, visit: http://www.bryant.edu/about/sustainability/

Author: Bridgette Kosek

Follow me on Twitter! @BridgetteKosek

Stay up to date with all of our activities by following @BryantMKT421 on Twitter!