Preserving the Wetlands

With all of Mother Nature's dramatic upheavals recently--earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis--this Earth Day seems like a good time to contemplate our role as caretakers of this beautiful planet we inhabit.

The Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa is celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd with a series of activities designed to bring us closer to Nature and learn more about how we can help reduce the waste and contamination of its precious resources. We will be planting trees, guiding tours in the protected mangroves adjacent to the resort property (photo-left), making candles so we can turn off electric lights, and creating delicious meals and drinks from local, fresh ingredients. All of these things and many more efforts to promote environmental sustainability are actually done regularly at the resort; we are just drawing more attention to them and making them more inclusive on this special day. At all times, trash is recycled, efforts are made to reduce the amount of daily laundry, lights are turned off and air-conditioning temperatures are adjusted, natural, biodegradable cleaning products are used, beach clean-ups are organized, and organic, local foods are sought out for Arenas' Restaurant menus.

Recently, the resort ownership arranged to host graduate students from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University to conduct a scientific study on how to revive and preserve the health of the mangrove wetlands which run through the center of Playa Flamingo, creating a much-needed shelter for a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. By promoting the conservation of this large undeveloped tract of land and helping to restore the natural flow of salt water into the preserve, the Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa ownership and employees are working to maintain the natural beauty of Playa Flamingo for generations to come.

The Happiest Place on the Planet

The word is spreading: Costa Ricans are the happiest people on Earth, according to several different measures. The information comes from a very credible source, The New York Times, in an article that cites several different international studies which attempt to measure overall contentment. Please check it out for yourself: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html?emc=eta1. Having spent the past two weeks here at the beautiful Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste, I can assure you, I have not experienced a single unhappy moment. On the contrary, every evening as I watch the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean, the sheer natural beauty of these sunsets makes me feel exceptionally blessed. And words cannot fully describe the sense of health and well-being one experiences while walking the expansive white crescent of beach, feeling the ocean breezes caress your skin while breathing clean, fresh, unpolluted air. Now, spending a day at the beach makes most people happy, I guess, so what is so special about Costa Rica? First of all, in this country they take sustainable environmental practices seriously. Where else would you have a moratorium placed on all development just so they can study the nesting habits of marine turtles to determine where all further development should be completely prohibited for the good of these gentle sea creatures? Costa Rica has set aside 25% of its land for protective parks and reserves that safeguard its lush natural beauty and great diversity of flora and fauna. With an estimated 5% of the world's biodiversity found in this small nation, many scientists and naturalists from around the globe refer to Costa Rica as the "world's living Eden." The Tico's cultural values also set them apart. First of all, democracy is Costa Rica's most treasured institution, and the ideal of personal liberty is strongly cherished. Costa Ricans are very proud to be members of one of the world's most stable democracies, and show it on the eve of the Independence Day, when the whole nation comes to a halt to sing the national anthem. Secondly, Costa Ricans are peace-loving, warm and friendly. It is easy to make friends here, no matter where you come from. Ticos are consistently helpful and polite. They are typically laid-back and thus worry little about deadlines. They do not live at all by the clock and therefore tend to be chronically late for appointments--a quirk notoriously but affectionately known as living on "Tico Time." Costa Ricans are non-confrontational. Faced with a difficult situation, they tend to laugh and use humor to diffuse the problem. Costa Ricans are extremely family oriented. Spending time with family and friends is of utmost importance, and multi-generational gatherings are the norm. Many Ticos even prefer jobs that will allow them more free time to spend with family and friends, even if it means sacrificing a higher pay grade (Hello, USA, are you listening??) Spend some time here in Paradise-On-Earth at the Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa, and believe me, you will soon understand what I am talking about and share in the sense of peace and well-being that seems to envelope this blessed little nation.