Monteverde: Sustainability Hub

The days have been packed with visits to local farms, cooperatives, reserves (even the hotel we are staying is a protected area), and adrenaline filled mornings of hiking and zip lining.  Several students have noted Monteverde is booming with tourists and especially students interested in engaging with the three legs of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. Climbing trees and finding the best overlooks were ways each student could independently connect with Monteverde's landscape while questioning how humans have impacted everything we see today.

Each day we were overwhelmed with speaking to local community members enacting social change and direct advocacy work towards building a sustainable planet such as Patricia Jimenez. She is the founder of CASEM COOP that offers employment, training opportunities in artisanship, and space for primarily women to connect through financial liberation. Other women are also contributing to the local economy through ecotourism and agroforestry projects such as Dona Hermida's coffee farm.

Another important figure in our trip is the owner of the hotel we are staying at, Valle Escondido or Hidden Valley. Jonah, originally from Boston, conducted a fascinating lesson on permaculture, a system of agricultural and sustainable design based on self-sufficiency and carbon neutrality. His relationship to designing Valle Escondido keeping in mind the ethics of "do good to the earth, good to people, give back to both" made students stop and think about how they could apply this basic guideline in their daily lives. Jonah follows key permaculture principles in order to sustainably heat all hotel showers, grow food onsite, and contribute to protecting the forest as a business owner. These concepts deeply captivated the students and I hope will catch your attention as well...

12 Principles of Permaculture

(1) observe and interact (2) catch and store energy (3) obtain a yield (4) apply self-regulation and accept feedback (5) use and value renewable resources (6) produce no waste (7) design from patterns to details (8) integrate rather than segregate (9) use small and slow solutions (10) use and value diversity (11) use edges (12) creatively use and respond to change

Beyond our deep learning experiences, we have cultivated friendships and connections with community members that will last a lifetime.

Overall, students had the chance to see sustainability come to life in every aspect of the Monteverde community and economy. We surely learned about self-reflection, community building, diversity, challenges with implementation of sustainability based on socioeconomic class and access to resources, and the list goes on.

Thank you Session II for teaching me every day and challenging me to reestablish my connection with sustainability!