Field Notes and Observations
General Observations about Costa Rica:
- Signs in front of all of the sinks at CPI that say to turn off the water when not in use
- In my house there is a sign in front of the sink in the bathroom that has that same sign
- At the school there was a compost pile
- The schools garden- they had some plants, however the garden was not well cared for
- The students at the school put their trash on the ground, the school had a pile of trash in the yard (wood, paint cans, bleach, electrical wiring, metal scraps)
- The national parks are very aware of being environmentally aware, lots of rules to protect the environment in those places
- The hotel had examples ways they were being environmentally friendly, signs to turn off the water, signs to turn off the lights, recyclable receptacles, etc.
- A commercial on TV about the importance of water and conserving in
- “We work together with nature” – Alana, Grade 9, Cloud Forest School
- “Most of the gardens here are made by the kids” – Alana, Grade 9, Cloud Forest School
- There favorite teacher is the environmental education teacher because he takes them on walks through the woods and gives then opportunities to explore
- Environmental education is a mandatory elective for students
- 106 acres of cloud forest belong to the school
- Methane Collectors that allowed the farm to capture the energy from the pig waste and use it to cook- allowed up to 5 hours of cooking
- Did many things by hand- it was more difficult but it allowed them to be more environmentally friendly
- Kept part of the forest on the farm- absorbing water therefore preventing erosion; providing a place for pollinators to live; being a good source of organic matter that can be used as fertilizer; and a home for microorganism
- Companion crops because field rotation does not work due to the coffee plants long life
- Rain collection system
- Felix our tour guide was very passionate about taking action. He wanted everyone to stop just recognizing that there is a problem and to do something about it.
- "Do not erase with one hand what you drew with the other." - Felix