After the festivities we interviewed Laura Jaen, a guide at Las Baulas National Park and president of the women’s association of Matapalo, which works to promote environmentally sound behavior and education. Afterward Rob and Ryan headed off with some of the researchers from Leatherback Trust to watch them excavate a former nesting site and count the number of eggs for an estimate of how many turtles had hatched there.

We wrapped up the daylight hours with an interview with Jim Spotila on the beach at sunset. As Jim recounted his experience working with turtles and his experience in founding and directing Leatherback Trust, we attracted the attention of a beachgoing tourist, who came up and stood listening to Jim’s story. He turned out to be a visitor from Canada who overheard Jim’s comments and wanted to express his sincere gratitude for the work that Leatherback Trust is doing. “Your work is the reason we decided to stay here rather than over in Tamarindo,” he told Jim. “We appreciate everything you’ve done to keep this place undeveloped and safe for the turtles.” After everything we had seen and heard during our time at Playa Grande it was gratifying it was to hear such a spontaneous endorsement of Leatherback Trust’s work.

Shortly after our arrival at Playa Grande we headed for the elementary school in the nearby village of Matapalo for a ceremony welcoming the Bullis students. The school band played, some of the Matapalo students performed folkloric dances, and the Bullis students presented gifts they had brought and received a Matapalo School banner signed by students. While at the school we checked out the computer lab funded and organized by Leatherback Trust and interviewed the school principal, who spoke about the critical importance of environmental education.

After visiting some of the beaches with Jim during the afternoon, we spent the evening at Leatherback Trust’s research station hoping for a chance to film a turtle laying its eggs. Together with national park guides and local residents, Leatherback Trust researchers and volunteers patrol the beaches every evening for at least four hours during the nesting season (October-February), watching for turtles. Our team joined in for some patrols and discovered just why all the researchers are so physically fit. Walking up and down the beaches for four hours every night is quite a commitment.

Unfortunately no nesting turtles appeared that night – the season was drawing to a close so our chances were reduced – but we did receive word late in the evening that hatchlings had been spotted emerging from a nest on Playa Ventanas. Together with Jim we rushed there and spent about an hour about 15 tiny turtles poking their heads out of the sand and emerging from the nest and then “swimming” down the beach in the direction of the ocean (more or less). An absolutely incredible experience!

Our small 19-seater plane whisked us to Tamarindo in a little over an hour, including a stop in Liberia, northwestern Costa Rica’s transportation hub. With the door to the cockpit open, Ryan and John had a great time filming the pilots at work. We were the only passengers to disembark at the basic little airstrip in Tamarindo, where we were met by Dr. Jim Spotila, co-founder of Leatherback Trust, which works to protect the leatherback turtles nesting on the beaches around Playa Grande, across the estuary from Tamarindo.

Leatherbacks are the world’s largest sea turtles and are truly prehistoric creatures – according to the Moon Guide to Costa Rica, leatherback fossils dating back 100 million years have been found. Adult leatherbacks are typically up to six feet in length and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. The turtles migrate across great distances and come ashore for short periods of time between October and February to lay their eggs above the high-water mark on Playa Grande and adjacent beaches.

Jim, a professor of environmental science at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, has been involved with turtle conservation in Costa Rica for decades and has a wealth of information to share about leatherbacks and about the challenges of creating and supporting a national park on Costa Rica’s increasingly popular northwest coast. He and Leatherback Trust co-founder Dr. Frank Paladino of Indiana Purdue University were instrumental in the establishment of Las Baulas Marine National Park, which protects several of the turtles’ nesting beaches. Unfortunately the park is threatened by development – we saw countless Century 21 signs advertising land within the restricted margin of the beach – and proposed legal reduction in size. Leatherback Trust is working to combat both threats and to improve the survival rate of hatchlings through nest monitoring and other activities.

The Pacuare River boasts mostly Class III and IV rapids, and the water level was fairly low at this time, making many of the rocks more prominent. I grabbed a paddle and joined a group of Polish travelers in a raft under the command of a guide named Henry. The steady rain didn’t matter much in terms of rafting, except after lunch when we all got a bit chilled, but it did make things extra challenging for the rest of the team, who had to keep their camera equipment dry as they filmed our descent of the river from the back of the two gear rafts rowed by Rios Tropicales guides with oars. Somehow the guys managed it well enough that the cameras were still intact at the end of the trip. Along the way they got some great footage of the Rios Tropicales guests (and me) charging through the rapids.

About halfway through the afternoon we stopped for lunch on a beach. The crew flipped over two of the rafts to create tables where they laid out quite a spread of bread, cheese, sandwich meats, vegetables, fruits, and other snacks. In keeping with Rios Tropicales’ sustainable tourism philosophy, the guides made very sure that no garbage was left behind, even going so far as to separate out compostable waste from regular trash.

We arrived at our takeout point near the town of Siquirres late in the afternoon and were taken to the Rios Tropicales office, where showers, coffee, and cookies were available. It felt great to get back into dry clothes after a full afternoon of soaking, but we were exhilarated after our whitewater adventure and impressed with the high quality of the whole Rios Tropicales operation.

We visited El Tigre on Day 2 together with Rafael (”Rafa”) Gallo, the founder of Rios Tropicales and a pioneer in sustainable and ecotourism since long before they became buzzwords. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the weather gods that it’s supposed to be the dry season in Costa Rica, so it rained just about the entire day, slowing us down and making it difficult for us to visit some of the projects Rios Tropicales is supporting. Nevertheless, we had a busy day of filming at several sites, beginning at the local school, where Rios Tropicales has been helping to improve the facilities. Next we headed down the road to the house of Javier Mora, sustainability manager for Rios Tropicales and a community leader in El Tigre. With support from Rios, Javier is building an Internet cafe as a source of income for his wife, Patricia, and daughter, Helen.

We also visited two tourist attractions that Rios Tropicales is helping to develop: the Serpentarium, where Rob got a kick out of handling a smallish boa constrictor, and the Pacuare Butterfly Garden, where Mario Achoy Vega has created a peaceful oasis around his two passions, butterflies and plants. Rafa and Rios Tropicales hope that El Tigre will become a replicable example of sustainable community development; in fact, Rios Tropicales is currently working with the country of Bhutan on developing similar projects there.

By the time we had visited the butterfly garden it was getting late in the afternoon, and Rafa wanted to make sure we had time to hike down through the jungle to the Rios Tropicales lodge before it got fully dark, so we headed downhill through lush rainforest along a well-maintained trail. Although no wildlife crossed our path, it was quite an experience to hike through the darkening forest. Just as we could no longer avoid turning on our headlamps we emerged at a suspension bridge across the Pacuare River. Crossing over we arrived at the ecolodge, where the scenic riverside setting, comfortable rooms, good food, and the constant sound of the rushing Pacuare River made for an excellent night’s sleep.

Kids can be a great inspiration to us all. Because of one student’s hard work, we were able to visit The Option Program at Seward (TOPS). A young man in Ms. Binder’s class wrote a paper on sustainability and thought it would be a good idea to have us come share the message with his classmates. Thanks to the wonderful parents and teachers of Seattle, all of the kids were very aware of sustainable issues and had already been participating to help the environment in their own communities.

The John Stanford International School is an award winning public elementary school in the Seattle area. Offering a dual-immersion language program to all students, John Stanford addresses issues of cultural sustainability in and outside of the classroom. We met with 380 K-6th graders and talked with them about sustainable projects in South America. All grade levels actively participated in the conversation and were excited to continue learning. Thanks to the staff at John Stanford being such gracious hosts!

Although we were booked throughout Seattle, we still caught some time to check out pockets of the city. And speaking of sustainability, we found a gem, Theo Chocolate. “The only Organic, Fair Trade, Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Factory in the United States.” Theo Chocolate is the perfect example of a sustainable business, and after taking a tour and eating tons of yummy samples we were hooked!

The Seattle Girls School was our next stop and we were a bit surprised. After meeting Wendy and setting up our equipment, the girls walked in and starting spewing personal facts about Kyle and I. How do they know all this, we thought. It ends up, that our brief experience actually reflected the skills these girls had learned. Being in an environment that teaches girls to be agents of change, to be confident, speak out against injustice and to be solution oriented. Thus, they had done their research on us and on GLP and were fully engaged in learning about sustainable practices and questioning techniques. Way to go Seattle Girls School!

We ended January on a great note presenting to 400 2nd-5th graders at Lawton Elementary School. Talk about motivated, although they were just beginning their transition into a “green” school, Lawton’s students were excited to have us there and eager to answer our questions. When asked what they use to help soil become rich with nutrients, one young student shouted “poo!” Of course we all had a laugh and someone followed him up by saying “composting”. These kids were truly amazing!

Wow, it’s no joke that the Pacific Northwest is the place for rain…and you can tell when you’re not a local because you’re the only one to use an umbrella! After a few days we settled into the weather and made our way to Laurelhurst Elementary. You have to hand it to teachers these days, when they are passionate, their students truly benefit. We visited Laurelhurst for two days, each day presenting to multiple 6th & 8th grade classes. Thanks to Tracy, her classes started a composting project and are helping to develop new sustainable initiatives!

Over the weekend we had the chance to visit some local hot spots. Our “must see” was Multnomah Falls. It’s more than 600 ft. tall and is just the beginning of a beautiful trail that leads through bright green moss covered trees along the river with fall after fall, each one more exquisite than the last. We were also lucky enough to get a local tour from our friends and take a canoe ride through the farmlands in Hillsboro.

Moving on, we were very fortunate to get the unique experience of presenting at Bridlemile Elementary School. As part of a collaborative school effort, Bridlemile began conducting “Green Team” as an afterschool program. Run by parent volunteers, each week children from Kindergarten through fifth grade gather to learn about and participate in sustainability issues for their school and community. This was a great group of students who exemplify how beneficial it is to have several age groups working together!

Our next visit was with Skyline Elementary School. As you can imagine, they are located on the top of a large hill, which takes multiple switchbacks to get to, and is surrounded by beautiful farm country. Skyline was unique due to the PTA’s involvement. After applying for, and receiving a grant, Skyline hired a green coordinator to establish sustainable practices in the school and integrate a sustainable curriculum. After meeting the coordinator, talking with the students, and having the press at the school to document their success in sustainability, I’d say we could all look up to Skyline!

After passing through the impressive 5,000 Tehachapi wind turbines, we arrived in San Diego the next day and thanks once again to family, were able to stay right on Pacific Beach! Not only were we happy to leave our jackets behind and burry our toes in the sand, but also to find out that when it comes to sustainability, California schools have jumped on the bandwagon.

Our first stop was Southwest High School. An hour before their field trip, we had the pleasure to present to several of Hector Arias’s classes. Mr. Arias has been introducing the importance of sustainability by providing his students with hands on experience. Along with other community groups, these students had participated in the Tijuana River Project. They took samples of river water, picked up 6 tons of trash and wrote their congressmen in order to confront the issues at large.

The next stop was eye opening. The school was Herbert Hoover High and the class was Business Environment. These high school students were focusing on career placement and preparing for senior internships, as opposed to continuing education. Their teacher, Maria Contreras, invited us to present, not because their school was “green” friendly, or because they were proud of their compost bin, but rather because she felt that no matter one’s economic background, ethnicity, or even business interest, that providing children with a broad perspective and showing them the vast opportunity that exists, they will one day be great contributors to their surrounding communities.

Thus far we had been on the road for 6 weeks and had yet to meet our teammates so there wasn’t any time better than the present! Thanks to Jen, Kyle and I had a place to lay our heads for another night. We arrived to open arms as Jen welcomed us and we settled in for the night. The next evening Jen cooked up a feast for the crew and one by one everyone arrived…everyone but our fearless leader that is! Over homemade pizza, hummus and other goodies, Jen, Laura, Rebecca, Nicholas, Kyle and I began sharing our stories of how we came to be fans of Green Living Project. Three cheers for a team of passionate, dedicated and fun loving people!

Good to have friends in small places, that’s how the saying goes, right? Yet again we needed a place to crash and our friends, the Darton’s, needed some help moving in. We spent the weekend in L.A. with them, ate a delicious friendsgiving dinner and admired the life of a struggling musician and his bona fide nurse/artist wife.

The next week Laura came through once again as the team machine, and rounded up a few presentations at the University of Redlands. We presented to an Environmental Studies class and the SEA campus group. Redlands has integrated sustainability into the university’s curriculum, which is demonstrated through their energy center reducing the campus’ carbon footprint by nearly 30% and through other projects such as developing a community farmers market.

Our adventures continued, just before we headed north we stopped to see a good friend at FOX Studios and got a personal tour. Way to go FOX for supplying compostable plastics in your cafeteria! As we traveled up the coast we stopped in Santa Cruz, camped in Big Sur, admired the elephant seals and sea otters, and hit up a lighthouse hostel!

The last stop in CA, but certainly not least, was at Laguna High School outside of Sacramento. Eric Johnson and his students undoubtedly win the award for outstanding achievement when it comes to implementing, teaching and learning sustainable practices through science! Through GETA (Green Energy Technology Academy), students study the technology of renewable energy. We were fortunate to sneak a peak at some of their projects like building portable solar power stations, wind turbines and turning algae into electricity!!! If that’s not enough, the students also participated in a drive, raising money by avoiding buying bottled water, and instead donating the money in order to build a well for students in Kenya. Laguna High is the perfect example of how we all can think globally and act locally!

On November 12th we visited Jennifer Cole’s history class at Desert Edge High School. The students were well prepared having learned about sustainability because of their new building, which will be the first school in AZ that is LEED certified and uses solar panels to conserve energy. Nothin’ like taking advantage of your natural environment!

That night Kyle’s cousin, Weston, was nice enough to put us up for a night and even treat us to yummy Ethiopian food.

This is GLP’s fifth expedition overall but our first to Central America, and we’re looking forward to checking out some of the exciting sustainability-related projects underway in three different countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Over the course of 20 days we’ll be visiting nine projects ranging from sustainable tourism and community development to marine conservation, agroforestry, and renewable energy. First up: Rios Tropicales, one of Costa Rica’s top river rafting companies and a leader in conservation and sustainable community development. Stay tuned….