What are some of the unique ways that you have observed people in your host country/city engage in to (a) address environmental issues, and (b) promote civic responsibility?
Costa Rica is known for its natural beauty. This unique habitat causes large amounts of tourists to visit each year. Many Costa Rican's livlihoods are now based on ecotourism. This shift has made people more conservation minded, because their livlihoods depend on the health of the environment. Costa Rica has the biggest combined reserve in Central America. An important aspect of reserves are education. They educate the local farmers, tourists, local adults, and local children. Unfortunately with ecotourism, more buildings have been built as well as other attractions. There is more trash and pollution. Many homes and businesses dump their waste directly in streams. Conservation is a challenge because people who are just trying to make sure their family survives, do not usually think about jaguars going extinct. Many local people do however, reuse products and compost all their food scraps.