Professor Troy Abel from Huxley College of the Environment and his students share their insights on ecological citizenship, political biogeography, and immersions in one of the most biologically intense places on the planet. Costa Rica is translated as rich coast, a name originating from Spanish conquistadors who mistakenly thought the land was filled with gold. Many now recognize that Costa Rica’s riches are more green than gold with more than 4 percent of the world’s estimated biodiversity. Costa Rica has universal health care, a longer life expectancy than the U.S., and no military. Only by expanding our attention to all of these facets can one begin to see “Ecotopia’s Prism,” or Costa Rica’s intersections of ecology, economy, and culture fostering and inhibiting sustainability.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Hello from Costa Rica

It has been 2 weeks since I left Bellingham.
We celebrated the 4th of July at Moteverde.
Today, we went for a hike with an experienced guide.
The most significant moment was at the continental divide.
I felt a cold wind from the Atlantic ocean side, and at the same time, I felt a warm wind from the Pacific ocean side.

Tomorrow, we will have a lecture at UPeace for Peace studies.
I am very much looking forward to it. Japan (which is my home country) and Costa Rica both have peace constitutions, but while Japan has been compromising its constitutional ideal for the past 50 years, Costa Rica has got so close to its ideal. We can see it through permanent dissolution of the armed forces.
There are lots of things we can learn from this country.

well, it is time to go to bed...

Masa



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