It was this time four years ago that I traveled with a group to Costa Rica, and yet the value of that trip seems to grow as time goes on. The theme of our trip was "Service and Sustainability." We went to plant trees to combat erosion in a small village, and then made our way through the mountains to a self-sustaining community called Rancho Mastatal. You may remember the bamboo treehouse — but there's so much more to be seen there...
Trent's post yesterday about clay ovens reminded me of just how sustainable Rancho Mastatal is: they've got it all covered, from composting toilets to rainwater collection, homemade yogurt to solar-powered showers, hand-made adobe buildings to that wonderful adobe oven.
When the kind folks at Rancho Mastatal begin a project, they do it in the most sustainable way possible, utilizing their local materials and talent, and giving back to the environment in all aspects. That's their purpose: to promote sustainable living in every way.
Take a gander through their site, and if you ever have the chance to go to Costa Rica, be sure to arrange a visit to Rancho Mastatal. You will leave very, very inspired.
Image: La Casa de Tiburon, via Rancho Mastatal's image gallery.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I would venture to guess that this is the only "eco-friendly" spot in Costa Rica. After a trip there last year, purposely going because of its environmental reputation, we were horrified to find a horrid, dirty, filthy, burning land fill ridden country. There was absolutely NOTHING sustainable about this country. When we asked about its reputation we were told about Eco-Disney - a small park just north of San Jose.
The native people were rude, we were robbed twice and met 3 other groups of people that were also robbed. The entire experience was immensely disappointing and unless you surf, I don't recommend anyone put this country on their list for travels.
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