Internships in Sustainability and the Environment: "Landscape Architecture," Ella Hinkley

This fall I invested four weeks in an internship with landscape architect, native Costa Rican, and resident of Monteverde Felipe Negrini. Our goals were to improve the functionality and aesthetics of the walking trail leading from Santa Elena to Monteverde using sustainable landscape designs. In doing this, our aim was to improve the quality of life and safety of individuals who walk the transect. The beneficiaries of my project include residents of Monteverde as well as the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve each year.

            This internship in particular was appealing to me because it poised the opportunity for me to work with my hands, think creatively, learn about native plants and make a tangible, visible difference in the community. I have a deep love for gardening and a growing appreciation and interest in landscaping and urban planning. Through this experience I explored both of these, while aquiring other new skills as well. I hope to pursue jobs that relate to sustainable landscaping, with a primary focus on promoting wildly productive land and garden spaces devoted to food harvest through permaculture. Although this internship did not relate to food production, I utilized permaculture principles and assessment methods in my designs. It was inspiring to get to work with Felipe, hear his perspectives on landscaping and develop my own style of design.

The section of the trail that I chose to focus on posed the most need, as the entrance of the trail was not very visible, and many people were choosing to walk on the road instead. Aside from promoting safety by securing the trail, I wanted to draw people into walk there because this transect winds through a healthy forest, full of native plants and abundance. The physical products I created are a living archway signifying the beginning of a trail that appears just after a bridge, where it was before unclear where it was continuing. To do this I cut branches from Tubu trees and sunk them into the ground. These will hopefully sprout and take root, as we are in the rainy season and this type of tree is hardy enough to do so. I also attached fallen epiphytes to the branches for aesthetic appeal. Another contribution I made was securing and filling in the trail as it crossed the drainage ditch. A previously dangerous and eroding bank is now a safe and inviting place to enter this beautiful section of trail. Other contributions include areas of native plantings in and around the trail and small branches with epiphytes at the study center.

Securing the trail

In this internship I integrated economic sustainability by using materials that were salvaged from the forest, hoping to set an example for the city to see how sustainable landscaping can fit in their budget. I also promoted social and environmental sustainability by creating a safer place for people to walk, encouraging them to use this path and experience nature.

This internship was epiphantastic!