San Jose and Sustainability

The theme of these last few days has been sustainability in urbanized areas. We had in depth discussions about our previous knowledge coming into the trip, and took a walking tour around central San Jose to learn more about the history of the place we are in for these next few weeks. Something really interesting we learned about the hotel we have been staying in, is that a former President of Costa Rica lived here. Taking our discussions about sustainability outside the classroom, we then visited a marginalized informal settlement on the outskirts of San Jose, known as La Carpio. La Carpio was established in 1993 and is now home to over 35,000 people, including many migrants from other Central American nations, the United States, and even from places as far away as China. This community is situated between a landfill on one side and el Rio Torres on the other. The landfill here was established in 2000 by a Canadian company in cooperation with the Costa Rican government. A deal was made where trash could be deposited in the community in exchange for funding of infrastructure projects in La Carpio. While this injection of funds has been a boon, pollution from the landfill and from other people dumping illegally has inundated La Carpio in trash. El Rio Torres, an important biological corridor, is full of runoff from sewage and percolated acids from the landfill, as well as contaminants leftover from water treatment facilities further upstream. While there are serious challenges facing La Carpio, our visit also highlighted the seeds of hope that are growing in the community. We had the chance to visit with two community leaders who are part of an 8 member council which works tirelessly to improve conditions in the community. They have helped create medical clinics and schools and are working to improve the sewage system and to get legal documentation for all members of La Carpio. They emphasized the importance of organized action and cooperation to create positive change. They told us how much they love La Carpio and it was powerful to see how united they were in their dedication. We also visited an organization called SIFAIS that has created a beautiful community center. They offer a wide range of classes for both kids and adults and it was amazing to learn that they built this center using reclaimed materials and sustainable design practices. SIFAIS has created a hub for all members of La Carpio to come together and grow. These experiences we shared together were powerful examples of how important sustainability is in urbanized areas. La Carpio was just a small example of issues that are being faced all around the world, including back home in the USA. Challenges require leaders to step up, and seeing first hand how change can be effected even in very difficult conditions was truly inspiring. Now, we are leaving San Jose with open eyes and engaged perspectives. Every day we are getting closer as a group, and we will take all we have learned with us as we move forward in our discovery. PS - As a note for the parents, we will be without access for the next few days - more photos will be uploaded as soon as we get back connected!