Articles
November 26, 2008
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Costa Rica Se Vende
Floating Tuna Farm Near The Osa Approved!After a 3 year long & expensive battle, It appears that Costa Rica has approved a Tuna Farm to be located just south of The Osa Peninsula in the waters of the Golfo Dulce. This Tuna farm has been a battle for residents of the Osa & Pavones for 3 years now, and it appears that the project is going through according to the Tico Times. www.ticotimes.net The proposed Tuna farm consists of 10 large netted cages filled with Yellow Fin Tuna caught and kept to be fattened up and shipped to China we presume. Both fish excrement, human & food waste would choke the natural ocean eco-system surrounding the approved Tuna Farm. The Golfo Dulce is one of 5 tropical Fjords around the world and breeding grounds for spinner dolphins, whales, sharks, sea turtles and 100’s of other marine animals. The Tuna Farm is approved to be located off the coast of Playa Banco, where 300-500 Ridley Sea Turtles nest every year.
Other large unsustainable developments in Northern Costa Rica are clear cutting the remaining “protected “ forests located near Punta Cacique to make way for a mega development and playground for the rich. It appears that the models of Miami, Cancun, Hawaii and Acapulco are an attractive option for government, but how will Costa Rica re-write it’s eco-tourism standards to include mega resorts and golf courses as part of their “Peace for Nature” campaign.
Just a few hundred miles East , Gold mine concessions were granted near the Nicaraguan border and mining operations have destroyed 100’s of hectares of precious primary rainforest. Does anyone know what is going on ? It appears that Costa Rica is for sale, or has it already been sold? Will we be eating more egg roles and Sushi in our future ? Will there be a Laundromat on each and every corner of our newly paved roads in Costa Rica?
Amigos de Bambu in La Palma
In 2006, Friends of the Osa launched a program to address local interest in bambooagriculture generated by two agriculture cooperatives founded on the Osa. As part of a larger sustainable agriculture initiative, this project makes bamboo agriculture available to local farmers as a viable source of environmentally-sustainable income. Based at a new sustainable agriculture center in La Palma the program provides plant stocks, training, facilities for drying and curing bamboo canes, and cooperative access to the local market for bamboo products. Plus workshops hosted by international experts in bamboo botany, propagation, craftsmanship, and construction to the LaPalma center to work with the Osa community. The goal of the project is to offer an alternative source of revenue to farmers who want to grow bamboo on their farms as an alternative to the hardwoods traditionally used in construction. Bamboo makes an ideal alternative material because it grows rapidly, yields a high output in a small area,sequesters carbon, and does not require pesticides for cultivation. It is the goal of the Amigos de bamboo to plant several hectares of bamboo per year, and if you would like to be on the list, or would like to participate in a bamboo workshop, contact Steve Bell at sbell@resbalosa.com, or Alfredo Quintero at quintero@osaconservation.org.
To find out about purchasing bamboo products from Osa’s farmers, or information about sustainable bamboo farming, contact Steven Mulder with Grupo Dunamis. Steve and his family have been planting bamboo on the Osa for many years and can help explain the benefits of bamboo perma & mono culture as well as show you the beauty of a mature bamboo farm. Steve and his boys also run a sustainable teak saw mill and have been supplying renewable building materials for housing for the past 4 – 5 years. Steve, Guillermo, Sergio, and Renaldo can mill your Teak to your dimensions and specifications and have it delivered to your building site in a short period of time. For more info contact Guillermo at 8368-5648 or e-mail Steve at stevmul@gmail.com
Living Sustainable in Paradise
Solar power is one of the most reliable and quickest ways to free you from low-quality utility service and high electricity bills. Solar (photovoltaic) energy delivers water, powers tools, lights homes and refrigerates food. Inti Tech Solar is located in downtown Puerto Jimenez near the waterfront. www.intitechsolar.com will guide you through an accurate assessment of your current energy consumption and inform you of ways to save energy. Then they show you how to apply alternative energy solutions to your current home or a new home that your getting ready to build.Hydro Electric is another possibility in remote areas. There is no better alternative energy system in remote areas than a well-designed micro-hydroelectric plant. The power generated from a good water source enables all the creature comforts of modern life. Essentially a micro-hydro system functions by conducting water from a source through a pipeline that ends at your installation site in a high pressure stream that rotates a turbine at high speed, generating electricity. Hydro power output is determined by water’s volume times its fall. In general, any site with more than 100 feet of fall makes an excellent micro-hydro site, but sites with less fall can be very productive also.
Grid Tie Systems are your personal contribution to the Kyoto Protocol Agreement. In league with CoopeGuanacaste, a local energy cooperative, Inti Tech provides you with a way to reduce CO2 emissions produce energy for the community and eliminate your utility bills. You may want to consider the advantage of installing a solar system in your home or establishment that generates energy you sell to CoopeGuanacaste during the day for the same price that you buy it from them at night. In other words, you pay nothing for your energy consumption and at the same time produce clean, renewable energy, virtually free of CO2 emissions. Intitech Solar services all of Costa Rica! For a consultation, energy audit or quotation, contact Thomas Fees as info@intitechsolar.com or visit www.intitechsolar.com Thomas can also be reached at his office 8-5 pm. 2735-5521 or 8814-7610
Canopyliving & Responsible Building
When deciding to build a home, it is important that you consider your carbon footprint that you create each time you have a truck of materials delivered to your home, each time you buy hardwood fro shelves, furniture and doors, and also when choosing to build with concrete and un-sustainable materials. Even dredging the rivers for gravel affects the recovering coral reefs downstream. Most people don’t realize that steel, concrete and even lumber comes from far away and has to be transported by boat, and semi truck, loaded and unloaded dozens of times before reaching your home site. For those of you building a home in Costa Rica, it is important that you do not support the hardwood industry that exists here in Southern Costa Rica. Most of the hardwoods you see in the small Deposito de Maderas along the sides of the roads are filled with illegally cut hardwoods, and you should only buy sustainable and renewable lumber such as Teak & Melina. There are other sustainable options for purchasing hardwoods that include Pine, Alemendro and Eucalyptus woods for construction.
One such Green project is a new concept called Canopyliving, whereas I set out to prove that a 4 bedroom home 40’ up in a tree could be built for less than a 4 bedroom conventional home built on the ground. If you have time watch our 6-8 minute You Tube Video www.youtube.com/watch?v=2344MMGshpg and learn how this is possible.
Using 3 naturally felled trees from below the building site, Teak, Bamboo and recycled materials, after 1 ˝ years we are almost finished. For instance;
• Wood shop made from recycled bamboo ( leftover from Earthday kiosks )
• Used car axles, tires and re-bar were used for the foundations and support
• Bird cages and BBQ grills used for the walls and top of the septic tank
• Wood pins made from felled Palmito trees ( Heart of Palm )
• Old Styrofoam, security bars, plastic water bottles, used motor oil, and recycled wire, tubing, hoses and spare PVS parts collected from within the community.
Only one small palm tree was cut in order to construct a 4 bedroom . 5 level treehouse. Without touching the tree, and not using a single bolt, Canopyliving is truly a new concept in living sustainable in the rainforest. Check out our photo gallery www.canopyliving.net
In the up and coming year we will be experimenting with small Pelton wheel hydro electric generaters producing power when it rains, and from gray water run off. The branches from the Guanacaste Tree high up in the air have also proven to create potential wind energy producers 1- 2 hours per day. Canopyliving offers a new alternative to building on your property, whereas now you can build on a hill or high up in a tree where the breeze and view is best. Do your part and build responsibly, sustainable and remember the 4 rules of building & living in the tropics.
• Stay away from the afternoon sun
• Capture and use the cool breeze
• Keep out of the rain
• Capture and use all available natural light
...and don't buy hardwoods. If we keep buying them, they will keep cutting them down - it is that simple. If you need help designing your home, hotel or cabina, or you are making changes to an existing home, or just need some sustainable advice and consultation feel free to contact me. If you are considering building a treehouse, I can certainly be of assistance and save you headaches, money and keep you from losing your hair and mind as treehouse designing is quite complicated. Send me a photo of your tree and we'll get started ! For more information about living close to nature and in the trees contact Michael H. Cranford www.michaelincostarica.com or call 8378-3013
Happy Holidays From The Rainforest
Happy Thanksgiving from Osa Peninsula Travel and Rainforest Aid 09. Those of us living here on the Osa have spent the last 4-5 years having turkey dinner at Jade Luna, Voted top 5 restaurants in Costa Rica, we have been privileged to have such a fine dining establishment in our little dusty gold mine town of Puerto Jimenez. However, at the request of a bunch of Turkeys, Barbara Burkhardt is not serving turkey dinner this year as she has been busy preparing sumptuous BBQ ribs, Chicken & Pork at her new location in downtown Puerto Jimenez. Located ˝ block West of Super 96 grocery market.( behind Carolina & near the bus station ), Barb is serving BBQ ribs, chicken, corn bread, baked beans and her famous salads. She is also doing family style to go, and you can get a Kilo of Ribs ( feeds 4 ) with all the fixens for about $32, throw in a taxi driver to Matapalo, some of her ice cream for desert and you are livin Pura Vida! Whether you dine in, take out, or have Barbs BQ delivered to your home or cabina by your favorite taxi driver, Barbs BQ is always a gourmet experience, no matter where she is located. Don’t forget her Oreo Cookie Ice cream and Mango sorbet, as she is till serving her world famous ice cream. Stop in and say hi, she would love to see you. Safe Travels This Holiday Season !
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