Acting Locally, Thinking Globally in Monteverde

The sun rises early here in Monteverde Costa Rica.  At 5:24 am to be exact. The many species of birds are already singing their "good mornings" to the world before the student's feet touch the floor.  The monkeys jump from tree to tree waking up their friends.   The beauty of Costa Rica greets the students as soon as they open their door to begin their busy day.  

Early morning was no feat for the students in who signed up for this agricultural activity. They were bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:15 in the morning to begin their 15 minute walk to the campus farm to milk the dairy cows.  They literally clamored over each other to sign up two nights before for the first scheduled milking. You could see the excitement in their eyes and hear it in their voices all week. The students were surprised how calm the cow seemed while they each took two minute turns milking.  They thought they were doing great until they saw how easy the caretaker made it look!  This milk is used in the kitchen for the delicious recipes that are prepared each day.  This was truly an an eye-opening experience for the students. 

During biology class, the students were led on a tour of the sustainable integrated farm.  This is a phenomenal example of how a community can become sustainable   This campus operates on a closed sustainable system.  There are many cogs to this wheel and they began with the biodigester.  The water that comes from this biodigester is used to irrigate the entire farm, including the coffee farm. The methane that is produced is used to light the stoves in the kitchen.  

After the tour of the lush vegetable garden, which is used in our daily meals, the students visited the happy pigs and friendly chickens. The chickens produce gorgeous farm fresh eggs for the campus kitchen to prepare for the student's breakfast. 

They also learned about the compost area.  This is also an important part of this sustainable system. Vegetable scraps and other organic material is placed in this area and it is broken down and used for fertilizer in the vegetable garden. This process makes for the most nutritious and delicious fruits and vegetables possible. 

Later in the afternoon, the students participated in a service project where they were able to plant new coffee plants at the coffee farm on campus!  Each student grabbed a shovel and started digging.  Although they were beyond tired, they enjoyed their contribution to the farm immensely.  

The students learned that is is absolutely possible to learn how to grow your own food, reduce our waste, and have better and fresher food for the kitchen table at the same time. As a group, we discussed all of these different things we could do at home in the future to contribute to the sustainability of our country and our world.