I was reading more about sustainable coffee growth and I found some information about indications that coffee is grown sustainably. The five that were listed were:
1. Certification
2. Country of Origin
3. Botanical Variety
4. Roaster
5. Price
In regards to certification, the cost of certifying your coffee organic can be great so some organic coffees do not have a seal. In the event that organic coffee does carry a seal, there are several types that may be present. One type of seal is that of bird friendly growth. In this case, it is required to be grown organically so you are getting coffee with sustainability and biodiversity kept as high priorities. To be certified organic by the USDA, it means that most but not all chemicals were eliminated from the growth process and most are grown with at least partial shade. Other types of seals exist such as from the Rainforest Alliance
The country of origin is important because some countries no longer use shade to grow their beans. These countries are more likely to use shade growing: Mexico, Bolivia, Ethiopia and a few others. Countries likely to use sun growing are: Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, and Vietnam.
Botanical variety relates to the two species of coffees sold commercially. These two are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is high quality where Robusta is generally low quality and mass produced with a lot of chemicals.
It is recommended that you buy coffee from a small, specialty roaster. This is because small roasters tend to have better relationships with the farms that grow their coffee and they know exactly where it came from. They are also more likely to know how it was grown.
The topic of price and sustainable coffee is just as one may guess: cheap coffee is probably not sustainable. It takes more money to grow organic, sustainably coffee; therefore, the cost will tend to be higher.
I think this will help me to make a more educated decision when the day comes that I decide to like coffee. I don't think the day will come but maybe whoever reads this will benefit.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Pictures from Manuel Antonio
This is a view from the bridge we stopped at on our way to Manuel Antonio (note the five gators, crocs...whatever they are)
Here's the crew out in the Pacific while it was raining but warm thank goodness.
A monkey!! Its very small peeping its head up in the middle of the picture.
Happy hour!
This was the view from our hotel...it was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was always raining.Manuel Antonio
Tuesday and Wednesday were an experience...not the most amazing but still and experience. Our whole group of 27 (minus our instructors) went Manuel Antonio Beach in search of a nice relaxing trip and to catch some rays. It ended up after our 4 hour bus ride there that it rained the entire time.
We went to the beach anyways and got to enjoy the huge waves and riptides. It was a good time other than my ear becoming full of water. We were all diving into the waves and getting flipped around and upside down by the currents which was really scary at first but still a blast.
We all went to happy hour where that had 2 x 1 tropical drinks and we took over the place which made it alot of fun. Our bus ended up taking us to a salsa and meringue restaurant/bar/club which was sooo much fun. I didn't really know what I was doing but the guy leads so all I did was just spin around.
We actually got to sleep in the next morning and nobody went to the beach because it was raining again...surprise, surprise. Then we took a long busride back as everybody talked about how the rain was depressing us. Either way, were in Costa Rica but its hard when the beach trip wasn't what we were waiting for.
We woke up this morning to more rain and found out that there is a tropical "depression" over Costa Rica right now which is why it has been raining non stop. Its called Tropical Storm Alma. Apparently, if the storm doesn't go North like its supposed to, then we may have to change our plans for the weekend. We're supposed to be going to the Osa Penninsula which is the hardcore rainforest/jungle that nobody goes to because its so hard to get to (combo of driving/boating/hiking). This is where were supposed to see all of the exotic creatures and sleep at a nature preserve under mosquito nets. Sounds like a good time...if its not raining. If you can't tell, i'm soo hating rain right now.
We're scheduled to have class all day today to make up for our trip to Manuel Antonio. We're one class in with two more to go. I'm starting to realize that class is the most relaxing part of our trip because we're sitting still. The material is really interesting too which helps. We talked about all of the negative parts of the world today. That made you feel good about life. All of the water shortages, deforestation, desertification, etc. I heard a lot about it in my geology course but to hear about it all at once just makes you realize alot about how we live. We also have our midterm/"short exam" this afternoon. We'll see how it goes.
Well I have to go back to class. I'll add pictures eventually when we have more free time.
We went to the beach anyways and got to enjoy the huge waves and riptides. It was a good time other than my ear becoming full of water. We were all diving into the waves and getting flipped around and upside down by the currents which was really scary at first but still a blast.
We all went to happy hour where that had 2 x 1 tropical drinks and we took over the place which made it alot of fun. Our bus ended up taking us to a salsa and meringue restaurant/bar/club which was sooo much fun. I didn't really know what I was doing but the guy leads so all I did was just spin around.
We actually got to sleep in the next morning and nobody went to the beach because it was raining again...surprise, surprise. Then we took a long busride back as everybody talked about how the rain was depressing us. Either way, were in Costa Rica but its hard when the beach trip wasn't what we were waiting for.
We woke up this morning to more rain and found out that there is a tropical "depression" over Costa Rica right now which is why it has been raining non stop. Its called Tropical Storm Alma. Apparently, if the storm doesn't go North like its supposed to, then we may have to change our plans for the weekend. We're supposed to be going to the Osa Penninsula which is the hardcore rainforest/jungle that nobody goes to because its so hard to get to (combo of driving/boating/hiking). This is where were supposed to see all of the exotic creatures and sleep at a nature preserve under mosquito nets. Sounds like a good time...if its not raining. If you can't tell, i'm soo hating rain right now.
We're scheduled to have class all day today to make up for our trip to Manuel Antonio. We're one class in with two more to go. I'm starting to realize that class is the most relaxing part of our trip because we're sitting still. The material is really interesting too which helps. We talked about all of the negative parts of the world today. That made you feel good about life. All of the water shortages, deforestation, desertification, etc. I heard a lot about it in my geology course but to hear about it all at once just makes you realize alot about how we live. We also have our midterm/"short exam" this afternoon. We'll see how it goes.
Well I have to go back to class. I'll add pictures eventually when we have more free time.
Tourism
We got a little better taste of eco-tourism on our trip to Arenal and Monteverde this past weekend. We were tourist because of the natural landscape and features.
People visit Arenal to see a sight that you can't see many places in the world: an active volcano. We were able to enjoy hot springs heated by the volcano and take a hike through the park that lead to a lava flow from the most recent eruption. It was all marked off so that we stayed on specific paths so that the park could maintain its natural beauty.
Monteverde was just the same. The rainforest was preserved for the most part so that we could take our night and morning walks and see the wildlife and insects that lived in the forest. I think the ziplining was a very commercial version of eco-tourism because we were able to enjoy the rainforest and also the thrill of flying through the trees and over the canopy (which I can't stress how amazing it was).
Many people believe that eco-tourism is still tourism and negatively effects the environment whether or not it is a natural sight. I agree that this is true but when you compare traveling to visit naturally maintained sights rather than commercial areas, you are doing something beneficial rather than harmful. Also, in cases such as Costa Rica, income is being brought to the country by those who want to see these sights. Not only can it be very beneficial for the economy of the surrounding areas, but it also encourages that who could benefit financially to maintain the beauty and keep the environment untouched.
Over the past 2 days, our whole group (less our instructors) took a trip to Manuel Antonio to visit the beach. It was obvious to me that the environment is a key attraction after noticing the view from our hotel room. In many other beach locations, the coast is lined with huge hotels and homes and the natual landscape is no longer natural. Despite the small stores and restaurants, Manuel Antonio seemed almost untouched. Standing outside our hotel room, you could see how beautiful the coast was. There were trees everywhere and it was much prettier than say Florida or California.
I think that eco-toursim is much more benefical when the right natural features exist and can be utilized. I'm excited to see more of what Costa Rica has to offer in the next few weeks.
People visit Arenal to see a sight that you can't see many places in the world: an active volcano. We were able to enjoy hot springs heated by the volcano and take a hike through the park that lead to a lava flow from the most recent eruption. It was all marked off so that we stayed on specific paths so that the park could maintain its natural beauty.
Monteverde was just the same. The rainforest was preserved for the most part so that we could take our night and morning walks and see the wildlife and insects that lived in the forest. I think the ziplining was a very commercial version of eco-tourism because we were able to enjoy the rainforest and also the thrill of flying through the trees and over the canopy (which I can't stress how amazing it was).
Many people believe that eco-tourism is still tourism and negatively effects the environment whether or not it is a natural sight. I agree that this is true but when you compare traveling to visit naturally maintained sights rather than commercial areas, you are doing something beneficial rather than harmful. Also, in cases such as Costa Rica, income is being brought to the country by those who want to see these sights. Not only can it be very beneficial for the economy of the surrounding areas, but it also encourages that who could benefit financially to maintain the beauty and keep the environment untouched.
Over the past 2 days, our whole group (less our instructors) took a trip to Manuel Antonio to visit the beach. It was obvious to me that the environment is a key attraction after noticing the view from our hotel room. In many other beach locations, the coast is lined with huge hotels and homes and the natual landscape is no longer natural. Despite the small stores and restaurants, Manuel Antonio seemed almost untouched. Standing outside our hotel room, you could see how beautiful the coast was. There were trees everywhere and it was much prettier than say Florida or California.
I think that eco-toursim is much more benefical when the right natural features exist and can be utilized. I'm excited to see more of what Costa Rica has to offer in the next few weeks.
Pictures...out of order but here they are
A pretty bird we found while hiking en la mañana. This is through a telescope thing.
A beautiful waterfall that we hiked to on morning hike in Monteverde.
This is from our night of relaxation and good conversation. ha
View from our boat as we crossed Lake Arenal on our way to Monteverde.
Bob and I during the zip lining. You can tell how happy he was when he realized that I had a camera out in the rain...forest.
"Just Livin Life, Doin Work, Playin Mafia"
Here I am inside of a tree in the rainforest.
Arenal Volcano...it was very clear and beautiful!
This is a sideways view of the dam that we visited on our hydroelectric plant tour.
This is a distant view of the waterfall that we all hiked to.
Here we all are at the bottom of the massive, amazing, beautiful waterfall.
Here we all are hiking across the volcanic rock (aka lava flow). It was unreal.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Long Amazing Weekend
Wow, well we just got back from a long weekend that was amazing.
It all started on Friday with a long drive to Arenal Volcano. The first thing we did after we got to the hotel was go to Baldi Hot Springs. We got to relax in the huge warm pools of water and order fun drinks. It was a nice bonding experience for the crew :)
We stayed at a nice hotel right by Arenal and we got to see it alot because the sky was clear the majority of the time we were there. Apparently that doesnt happen to often so everyone was pumped. We even got to see it erupting on Saturday night.
Saturday was packed too. We got up early to go to a hydroelectric plant which was interesting. It was cool to actually see a dam after learning so much about them in my geology course. We got to see how they divert the water then where it comes out and generates electricity which was crazy.
After the plant, we went horseback riding to La Fortuna waterfall which was amazing. At least the waterfall was. I learned that i´m not a horse kind of girl to say the least. I was sorta kinda scared out of my mind. The waterfall was beautiful and huge. We all got to swim around under it and relax after the horseback riding so it was nice to cool off. After the waterfall, we hiked through Arenal National Park. We walked right up next to the volcano and walked through our first "rain forest." We walked until we got to the lava flow from when the volcano erupted in the 60's. There were massive black rocks every and you could how the flow wrapped around. You could also see Lake Arenal in the distance which was beautiful. It was literally a breathtaking experience. We ended up walking back to the bus in the poring rain before we went to dinner at a steakhouse where we ate chicken. ha
Sunday was my favorite day by far. We woke up and took vans to Lake Arenal. We all jumped on a boat and cruised across the lake. It was surrounded by mountains and the lake was beautiful. We had a full view of the volcano too which was amazing. After the boat ride, we got back on some vans and took an insane ride to Monteverde. The roads were horrible. There were rocks everywhere. We found out that they do this intentionally. The people of Monteverde keep their roads really badly maintained because they want people to stay longer. It takes longer to get to the park which is the motivation to stay longer from what I understand. Either way, we only stayed one night but we had a rocky ride there and back.
The first thing we did when we got to Monteverde was unload into the lodge we stayed at in the park. It was like summer camp. We had rooms with 3 bunks and we shared bathrooms. It was alot of fun though. In the afternoon we went on a canopy tour which was my favorite part of the weekend. I was prepared for around 5-7 ziplines through the rainforest but it turned out to be soooo much more. We started off on a few easy ziplines then they got longer. Out of nowhere came this huge platform thats called the "tarzan swing." Image this: first you jump off the platform and the rope isnt tight. Then, all the sudden as your falling, it tightens and you start swinging really far and really high. I was incredibly nervous but it was so much fun. That wasn't even the best part. We had two more ziplines that are hard to describe. I started out in the forest then as I was gliding along the trees just open up and I was just out in the middle of this huge valley hundreds of feet in the air. It felt like I was flying...like I was the only person around. It was amazing. The second one was just the same but it was through a cloud. I almost couldn't see it was so dense but it was incredible. I wish I could do it again right now! The only downside was that it was pouring down rain the entire tour but it didn't matter.
We came back soaked then they surprised us with dinner at a pizzeria and everybody was pumped. The pizza was amazing and we all dessert for Rob's birthday. We ended up going on a night hike in the rain and we saw a trantula (sp?) and a ton of bats. We saw a lot of random insects too.
We woke up this morning at 5:30 am to go on another hike at 6. We got to see a few birds and more insects. I finally felt like I was in a real rainforest. It was dense and wet and you could tons of birds.
Overall, this weekend was amazing. The next few are going to have to be pretty good to top what I just experienced.
Sunday was my favorite day by far. We woke up and took vans to Lake Arenal. We all jumped on a boat and cruised across the lake. It was surrounded by mountains and the lake was beautiful. We had a full view of the volcano too which was amazing. After the boat ride, we got back on some vans and took an insane ride to Monteverde. The roads were horrible. There were rocks everywhere. We found out that they do this intentionally. The people of Monteverde keep their roads really badly maintained because they want people to stay longer. It takes longer to get to the park which is the motivation to stay longer from what I understand. Either way, we only stayed one night but we had a rocky ride there and back.
The first thing we did when we got to Monteverde was unload into the lodge we stayed at in the park. It was like summer camp. We had rooms with 3 bunks and we shared bathrooms. It was alot of fun though. In the afternoon we went on a canopy tour which was my favorite part of the weekend. I was prepared for around 5-7 ziplines through the rainforest but it turned out to be soooo much more. We started off on a few easy ziplines then they got longer. Out of nowhere came this huge platform thats called the "tarzan swing." Image this: first you jump off the platform and the rope isnt tight. Then, all the sudden as your falling, it tightens and you start swinging really far and really high. I was incredibly nervous but it was so much fun. That wasn't even the best part. We had two more ziplines that are hard to describe. I started out in the forest then as I was gliding along the trees just open up and I was just out in the middle of this huge valley hundreds of feet in the air. It felt like I was flying...like I was the only person around. It was amazing. The second one was just the same but it was through a cloud. I almost couldn't see it was so dense but it was incredible. I wish I could do it again right now! The only downside was that it was pouring down rain the entire tour but it didn't matter.
We came back soaked then they surprised us with dinner at a pizzeria and everybody was pumped. The pizza was amazing and we all dessert for Rob's birthday. We ended up going on a night hike in the rain and we saw a trantula (sp?) and a ton of bats. We saw a lot of random insects too.
We woke up this morning at 5:30 am to go on another hike at 6. We got to see a few birds and more insects. I finally felt like I was in a real rainforest. It was dense and wet and you could tons of birds.
Overall, this weekend was amazing. The next few are going to have to be pretty good to top what I just experienced.
Friday, May 23, 2008
More Bananas
As you can tell from my last blog on this topic, bananas have a rich history and contribute greatly to Costa Rica's economy.
Banana cultivation in itself is a very interesting process. Cultivation requires specific conditions and optimum soils to produce good bananas. The terrain must be flat with deep, well-drained and structured soils. Costa Rica is ideal for banana production because of the volcanic ash deposit in the soils that exist. Also, conditions are ideal because bananas require 10-15 months of no frost and temperatures constantly above 53 degrees F.
The production of bananas consists of four stages: plant growth, fruit protection, harvest, and cleaning, packing and shipping. The plant growth lasts about 6-8 months and consists of the growth of a stem with a large bud. Once the stem has arrived, the fruit protection begins. The fruit is protected by removing damaging leaves and bagging the fruit to prevent sun and insect damage. At this point, colored ribbons are tied to the bags to mark the fruits scheduled harvest. At this point, fruits are supported by twine to prevent wind damage. Also, this is the stage where pesticides and other chemicals are applied. When the bananas are matured, they are cut from the vine and placed in water tanks to be cleaned. Once cleaned, they are cut into bunches and packaged to be shipped. Bananas usually arrive on refrigerated trucks and shipped within 24 hours. The fruit generally arrives are supermarkets within 3-11 days of harvesting.
I had no idea of the process that brought this wonderful fruit to my grocery store in Ohio. Later in our trip, we are going to visit Chiquita and another organic banana plantation. I'm looking forward to seeing the process in real life.
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