July is a month for many expats and travelers alike, the English speaking variety, to consider the meaning of national pride.
For Canadians, July 1 is Canada Day, a national day for them to celebrate the enactment of the Constitution Act of 1867. For U.S. expats, July 4th is Independence Day. Heck, even the French expats have Bastille Day on July 14.
Whatever the future promises, it’s safe to say we will remain a world of nations for most of our lifetimes. National pride will infect each of us in some way, even if we don’t believe it. (We feel it when we use our passports.)
Can those of us spending time in Costa Rica, albeit it temporary, also feel a certain national pride about this country? Most of us are not citizens, not even residents beyond our 90-day tourist visas.
Why not? It takes an act of willpower to stay in Costa Rica, whether for a week or a lifetime. In fact, there is no will involved with where we are born, so this writer would argue there is more pride to invest in a chosen geolocation.
It is on this idea of pride where we can all pile our respect for the ways Costa Rica behaves as a leader in ecology. If nothing else, we can all feel the pride of contributing to Costa Rica’s long-term goals of leading the world in ecology.
Here are six ways…
Renewable Energy
In 2016, about 98.1 percent of Costa Rica’s energy came from renewable resources. This little country, no bigger than West Virginia (U.S.) runs on mostly hydropower, geothermal plants, wind, solar, and even some biomass.
In fact, in 2016, Costa Rica ran for over 250 days without burning a shred of carbon to keep on the lights. To put this perspective, the best European country in the same year, Sweden, powered themselves with 51.5 percent renewable energy.
The United States ranks low in 2016 at 15 percent renewable, but Canada is even lower at 11 percent.
The key difference between countries like the U.S.and Canada, versus smaller countries like Costa Rica, is a matter of volume. Their small percentages hurt the world exponentially more than Costa Rica’s magnificent contribution helps.
The Costa Rican Certification for Sustainable Tourism
There are five levels of the Costa Rican Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), represented by up to five leaves where consumers find it. The CST measures three sustainability areas, management, economic and social, and environment.
The National Accreditation Commission grants the CRT upon request to hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, tour operators, car rental companies, and attractions. It lasts for two years.
Look for, and ask for the CRT when you travel Costa Rica to flex your green-support muscles.
The Blue Flag Ecological Program
To qualify for the Ecological Blue Flag, a beach must meet 90 percent of the Blue Flag Ecological Program qualifications for three main areas: ocean water microbiology, potability of drinking water, and quality of coastal sanitation areas.
Sub categories include waste disposal, sanitary facilities, signage, tourist safety, environmental education and involvement of the community in beach maintenance.
The Ministry of Environment (MINAE), Costa Rican Tourism Institute, National Weather Service, Ministry of Public Health, and National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) oversee this program, but the people of the beach towns drive results.
Because the award affects tourism, the communities in beach towns have a vested interest in making improvements to earn the award. They are the ones organizing the changes, towns like Tamarindo.
Rainforest Preservation
By our best estimates, the rainforests of Costa Rica, despite the small size of the country, account for five percent of the Earth’s biodiversity. On land, at least, we find most of this biodiversity in the rainforests.
The establishment of national parks protect a world record 25% of the country’s land, most of which is rainforests.
While there is no undoing some of the damage from previous generations, this generation of Costa Ricans have the most successful rainforest conservation plan of any nation with rain forests.
For developers, these laws may seem a hassle, but for the greater good of Costa Rica, they preserve the ecological reputation that now defines Costa Rica.
Single Use Plastic Strategy
The coolest thing about this movement is that it started in the market. Businesses, sometimes responding to consumers, have made the first moves.
The national grocery chain, Automercado, along with other chains like Musmanni, Gollo, and La Curacao, have committed to ending their use of single-use plastics. This means not using bags, but also take out containers, straws, and any plastic we dump after one use.
These plastics go in our garbage, but the wind up in the oceans. They choke and poison our wildlife. In place, they form huge islands of plastic.
In Tamarindo, there is a social movement underway to remove the plastic straw from restaurants and vendors. Let vendors know your position when you order your drink, “sin pajilla, por favor.” (Seen pah-hee-ja por-fa-vor). They may offer you a paper version.
Carbon Neutrality Goals
At one time the goal was by 2021. Costa Rica wanted to achieve carbon neutrality by that year, but someone smart pointed out everything that would have to change before Costa Rica could claim that one.
The cars alone pose a huge challenge, even when Costa Rica goes fully-renewable on the energy front. In 2016, automobile fuel usage in Costa Rica went up by eight percent over the prior year. Airplane fuel was up by 12 percent.
This is all despite high Costa Rican fuel costs which put even big cities in the United States to shame.
In more recent history, Costa Rican officials have dropped the timeline for this goal, focusing more on short term goals, but that long-term goal will come back. It’s still on the minds of politicians and Costa Ricans alike.
Today’s talk focuses more on the 2030 energy plan, which is not a carbon neutral plan, but a step on the long climb. Expect to this one to come back in the coming decade.
As reported by the Tico Times, the Costa Rican brand is growing faster than any country in the Americas. It’s not just because of the Howler monkeys, either. It the land, sure, and it’s the people, of course, but it’s also the whole package. It’s Costa Rica’s attention to ecology.
Critics argue Costa Rica is not doing enough to protect her waters from practices like trolling and shark finning, which is fair, but there are still a lot of reasons to celebrate this little country’s green efforts.
There’s a whole lotta reasons to feel pride for contributing those efforts. We might not carry Costa Rican passports, but for our efforts, travelers of Costa Rica are like mini-patriots.