Sustainability & ZIP LINING!!!

Today we went to the Life Monteverde farm which is a "green" farm that promotes sustainability.  They conserve energy, use natural compost, collect rainwater and so much more!! We took a tour of the farm and then got our hands dirty manually plowing a few rows of dirt to plant beans and corn.  It was A LOT of work, but rewarding in the end knowing that we are aiding  with sustainability in Costa Rica.   Our guide taught us all about reusing, recycling and reducing our imprints on the earth.  It is so important for communities to get involved and help take steps towards improving our environment, the air we breathe, the food we eat and our ecosystems.  As a teacher I can encourage my students to make a difference such as planting trees as a class which gives each child a sense of accomplishment and pride knowing that they are one by one improving our world. 

Yesterday we went to the Cloud Forest School which is a private school in Monteverde.  It is a small school that promotes English Language learning for all of their students in every grade and every subject excluding Spanish and Social Studies class.  Almost all of their teachers are from America and all of the students are basically fluent in English and Spanish.  I think the school is offering wonderful opportunities for these students in education, language and sustainability.  The school is practically 100% green, and each student plants a tree in one of their nature preserves. We were able to tour a few of their greenhouses with herbs, vegetables, trees and flowers.  They plant in decomposable milk or juice cartons which once planted, disintegrate into the soil.  The students take great pride knowing that they are taking positive steps towards a clean, green environment.  

Both of these experiences have aided in my knowledge of what it truly means to be "green" and has caused me to think deeper and look closer at the decisions I make and what surrounds me.  For example, we learned that's tree is not just a tree.  It has 12 uses in our ecosystem such as a home, food, play, materials such as paper etc... 

I want my students to be able to think the same way when they discover new things while learning... opening the book instead of just reading the cover or picking a flower to examine the parts and uses instead of just looking at the beauty.  I want to aid my students in figuring out on a higher level how people, plants, and insects contribute to our environment/ecosystem instead of killing a bug because its "bad" or spraying insecticides or herbicides to kill things. 

Personally I would like to start small and begin growing my own vegetables in a natural way in my own yard.  We've had problems in the past with deer and rabbits eating everything so I would like to research new ways to protect my garden without harming the surrounding environment.  

Our group went on an AWESOME adventure to a canopy tour and flew down 9 zip lines! It was such a great experience having fun, viewing the luscious rain and cloud forests as well as a spectacular view of arenal volcano!! Some would say I'm a bit of a dare devil... I am terrified of spiders and bugs but have absolutely no problem at all jumping off a platform held by a wire and zipping through the air.  It was such a rush and was the perfect ending to our trip.