This is just a little clip of how college students waste time on busrides to salsa clubs. After happy hour.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Random
This has nothing to do with Costa Rica but I just got two donations towards my goal for Team In Training!!! I`m so pumped!!
Bananas
My other posts on bananas point out their history and cultivation but they do not address the effects that they have on the environment.
The major affect that initially starting a plantation will have on the enviornment is detrimental. Many natural features, such as rainforests are being destroyed to make way for the creation of banana plantations.
Several large banana plantations such as Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte are focused highly on the appearance of their bananas with little regards to the environmental affects on the earth. Many pesticides are used so that insects will not alter the appearance of the banana, which brings along many other issues. If the insect species that is being targeted is not present when sprayed, then the beneficial predetors may end up being killed. The pesticides used on these insects have also shown to be harmful to surrounding wildlife such as birds and fish which are predators to the insects that these pesticides kill.
A startling fact is that bananas are actually the most pesticide-rich topical fruit produced for international trade. Even more shocking, in Costa Rica 280 different pesticides are approved for use on bananas and one third of banana production cost in Costa Rica is spent on pesticides.
Although Costa Rica has ideal conditions for banana production, it also provides the an abundance of rain. This can become an issue because the rain water carries away pesticides from the plantations to other areas of the country. In fact around 60 - 85% of all chemicals are lost to leaching or runoff due to raining and absorption.
Banana plantations also have issues with the disposal of waste. Twenty percent of waste from plantations requires special treatment. The Ministry of Health found that in Costa Rica, 78% of plantations did not dispose of waste properly. Waste exists from the disposal of bad banana production and also plastic bags and ties used to protect the plant from insects.
It is apparent that banana production seems to have a very detrimental affect on the environment. Companies are starting to improve the ways of production so that there are less effects occuring. Later in our trip, we are visiting an organic plantation where I'm hoping to learn about more sustainable ways to grow bananas.
(http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/15843/Banana-Production-and-the-Environment-Sarapiqui-1)
The major affect that initially starting a plantation will have on the enviornment is detrimental. Many natural features, such as rainforests are being destroyed to make way for the creation of banana plantations.
Several large banana plantations such as Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte are focused highly on the appearance of their bananas with little regards to the environmental affects on the earth. Many pesticides are used so that insects will not alter the appearance of the banana, which brings along many other issues. If the insect species that is being targeted is not present when sprayed, then the beneficial predetors may end up being killed. The pesticides used on these insects have also shown to be harmful to surrounding wildlife such as birds and fish which are predators to the insects that these pesticides kill.
A startling fact is that bananas are actually the most pesticide-rich topical fruit produced for international trade. Even more shocking, in Costa Rica 280 different pesticides are approved for use on bananas and one third of banana production cost in Costa Rica is spent on pesticides.
Although Costa Rica has ideal conditions for banana production, it also provides the an abundance of rain. This can become an issue because the rain water carries away pesticides from the plantations to other areas of the country. In fact around 60 - 85% of all chemicals are lost to leaching or runoff due to raining and absorption.
Banana plantations also have issues with the disposal of waste. Twenty percent of waste from plantations requires special treatment. The Ministry of Health found that in Costa Rica, 78% of plantations did not dispose of waste properly. Waste exists from the disposal of bad banana production and also plastic bags and ties used to protect the plant from insects.
It is apparent that banana production seems to have a very detrimental affect on the environment. Companies are starting to improve the ways of production so that there are less effects occuring. Later in our trip, we are visiting an organic plantation where I'm hoping to learn about more sustainable ways to grow bananas.
(http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/15843/Banana-Production-and-the-Environment-Sarapiqui-1)
Friday, May 30, 2008
Hello everyone. Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, Stephanie and I went on a nice run this morning...its just great. Oh, and class got postoned an hour. I'm very happy.
I don't have much to talk about really. We had 3 classes yesterday and they were all pretty interesting. We talked alot of about risk management and ecological services. It was really interesting to learn more about what pushes companies to "go green". I didn't realize how many people can have an affect on companies and the way they use our resources. There are alot of stakeholders who put pressure on companies to become more sustainable such as the media, competitors, and non-governmental organizations.
We also watched the movie The 11th Hour last night which is narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. First, I'd like to say that he shouldnt have narrated the movie because he's an actor and it looked like he was acting when he was talking about our effect on the earth. Not a good choice in my opinion. Either way, the movie was insane. I'm pretty sure they were using the fear tactic to make the viewer realize that everything on earth will die if we don't change our habits. They talked alot about water scarcity, the extinction of oceanic life, dead zones, storm enhancement, etc. It was really interesting and it kept my attention the majority of the time. It did motivate me to act because I feel more conscious about my water usage and throwing away trash among other things.
Jumping back to the present - our trip to the Osa Penninsula ended up getting postponed to Sunday because of Tropical Storm Alma. Today, we're having class instead and starting to work on our group projects. Instead of next Thursday, we're going white water rafting all day tomorrow then coming back to San Jose before leaving for the Pennisnula tomorrow. I'm pumped to have this nice break with nice weather and rafting tomorrow should be a blast.
In case you feel like helping me out, you should go to this website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/soh/nattri08/aminneman
I don't have much to talk about really. We had 3 classes yesterday and they were all pretty interesting. We talked alot of about risk management and ecological services. It was really interesting to learn more about what pushes companies to "go green". I didn't realize how many people can have an affect on companies and the way they use our resources. There are alot of stakeholders who put pressure on companies to become more sustainable such as the media, competitors, and non-governmental organizations.
We also watched the movie The 11th Hour last night which is narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. First, I'd like to say that he shouldnt have narrated the movie because he's an actor and it looked like he was acting when he was talking about our effect on the earth. Not a good choice in my opinion. Either way, the movie was insane. I'm pretty sure they were using the fear tactic to make the viewer realize that everything on earth will die if we don't change our habits. They talked alot about water scarcity, the extinction of oceanic life, dead zones, storm enhancement, etc. It was really interesting and it kept my attention the majority of the time. It did motivate me to act because I feel more conscious about my water usage and throwing away trash among other things.
Jumping back to the present - our trip to the Osa Penninsula ended up getting postponed to Sunday because of Tropical Storm Alma. Today, we're having class instead and starting to work on our group projects. Instead of next Thursday, we're going white water rafting all day tomorrow then coming back to San Jose before leaving for the Pennisnula tomorrow. I'm pumped to have this nice break with nice weather and rafting tomorrow should be a blast.
In case you feel like helping me out, you should go to this website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/soh/nattri08/aminneman
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Coffee
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.
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.
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.
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