In this Daily -- It's Earth Day!
A warm and sunny day today, with an offshore wind coming from further inland heating things up until about 3pm, where a shift in the breeze will bring a rapid cool down to moderate temperatures in the low 80s as we hit sunset.
It's Earth Day today, a holiday observed all around the world but with particular emphasis to those in Costa Rica. There's a strong relationship between Costa Ricans and the land around them, and to be fair it would be hard not to. The natural life in this beautiful Central American country is astounding, with almost 6% of the world's biodiversity in only .02% of the world's landmass, distributed across sweeping mountain landscapes, lush tropical rainforests, rolling dry forests, hidden mangrove swamps, towering cloud forests, and thousands of miles of coastlines and aquatic ecosystems.
However, it's one thing to appreciate nature, but it's another thing to protect it, and Costa Rica is among the foremost countries in the world pushing for sustainability initiatives all across the country, with nearly 100% of electricity in the country produced by renewable energy and increasingly high standards to combat pollution and other environmental hazards. It's an ongoing process, but Costa Rica continues to push forward, with the country recently turning its eye towards total decarbonization by 2050 -- an ambitious goal, but a necessary one as the world continues to fall under threat of climate change and pollution.
And here in Las Catalinas, we take protecting our natural environment very seriously. From the start, one of the key benefits of New Urbanism is the natural density and walkability of town, which leads to reduced pollution from cars, and the ability to let nature thrive all around. Also, 80% of the land in Las Catalinas has been specifically reserved for the preservation of tropical dry forest from now until perpetuity, meaning that the vibrant ecosystems all around us will continue to thrive long after town is fully built out.
Town is also dedicated to being a forerunner in Guanacaste in terms of day-to-day sustainability initiatives, with goals like aiming to be entirely carbon neutral in the near future, setting the premier example for waste treatment and recycling (which has been recognized by the regional environmental authority), taking great care to preserve the natural habitats on forest, shoreline, and in between, andmworking on several upcoming projects to be announced soon.
So what can you do to celebrate Earth Day? Well, there are a number of easy ways to start -- recycling, choosing to use products that don't use plastic packaging, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, riding a bike or walking when you could drive, becoming more conscious about energy consumption -- and all of these are excellent options, but even doing all of these should just be the start. From there, the best way to continue protecting the earth is by getting informed, taking the time to learn more about the products you choose to use and how they affect the environment. If we can all be more aware of how we're pitching in to protect the earth, it'll be easier to share that with others.
We're very fortunate to live in a place surrounded by such natural beauty, to have the opportunity to ride out among the trees and the plants, to set out onto the water and see so many colorful and fascinating animals, and it's up to all of us to take responsibility for protecting these environments for ourselves and our children.
Happy Earth Day!
Upcoming Events
Tomorrow
- Un Paseo por España @ Beach Club: 6pm
Sunday
- Brunch @ Ponciana: 11am
- The Barrio Barbecue @ Playa Danta: 5:30pm