Growing and Changing, Monteverde and I, by Rick Moyer (CIEE Intern; Albright College)

            The past four weeks of my life have been some of the most formative in my time as a sustainability advocate.  After being assigned the role of developing solutions for waste reduction in the Centro Comercial Monteverde in conjunction with the Monteverde Community Fund, I soon realized that my assignment fit me like a glove, and I found myself delving far deeper into my work than I had imagined, just for the fun of it.

            For my internship, I was to survey business owners, the plaza administrator, and officials in the government to characterize waste production in the commercial center and develop strategies for implementing solutions for waste reduction.  During the interview process, I quickly realized that the capacity and momentum for sustainable improvement already existed, and would be achievable in my short time working with the MCF.  As it turns out, restaurants in the plaza already dispose of their organic waste as pig feed, and the bigger businesses are taking care of their recyclables on their own.  That left me to work with the small-business owners, who readily acknowledged that they wanted to recycle, but that a process for doing so simply didn’t exist.  There I found my niche, and spent the remaining time preparing the center’s trash collection site, encouraging business participation, and building recycling bins to extend that infrastructure to customers.

            Over the course of my time with the MCF, Justin and I developed a productive relationship, whereby my interests drove me to solve the problems that arose as I saw fit, with the guidance of a man with an obvious knack for getting sustainable goals accomplished.  I was so fascinated in the work we were doing, and given my passion for politics and government, I feel that the skills I developed will no doubt help me to make significant advancements in career I pursue.  Surveying allowed me to gain crucial insights into problems on the ground and develop personal connections with the people I was helping.  Limiting my budget forced me to get creative with the materials I used and how I implemented my recycling program.  And of course, drafting policy recommendations with my supervisor allowed me to understand the craft of suggesting realistic alternatives to the status quo and made me think about how to devise incentives to encourage Monteverde towards a sustainable future.

            As my internship took shape, I found myself more and more invested in my products and the effects they had on a community of people who deserve the infrastructure to improve their environment.  Perhaps my greatest accomplishments are my cut and blistered hands; the work I put into my products were a labor of passion, and while the wounds will fade to nothing more than a memory, the outcomes I achieved will impart positive changes which will ripple out into a community of thousands in perpetuity.