Carbon Neutral Travel In Costa Rica

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Carbon neutral travel is something we should all be striving for. With the environment suffering as it is, we don’t need our travelling to further contribute to the issue. I often find it comical that some of the most environmentally conscious people I have ever met have been in hostels around the world, having flown to the country in order to be in the hostel. There is one particular incident that sticks in my mind. I was staying in a hostel in Guangzhou, China. It was your classic hostel with edgy artwork adorning the walls, grimy but comfortable sofas in a massive common room and outside of course an Australian playing the guitar.

I was sitting listening to Ben Stokes’ incredible match-winning innings on the radio with two Aussies that I had made friends with. All of a sudden we were interrupted by a loud grumble and a man dressed in elephant trousers. He was shouting ‘I can’t believe how much plastic they use in this country, it is fu*king ridiculous. Plastic cup, with a plastic handle, put in a plastic bag, to be drunk with a plastic straw. It is infuriating! They just don’t care about the environment at all.’

The Not So Neutral Nordic

Now we didn’t know this man so it was a strange encounter to begin with, but he then continued to start listing all the things that were environmentally harmful in his eyesight. I had just had a bubble tea which came with all the plastic mentioned above, so he particularly went in on me. After his 15 minute rant in which more and more people turned around to look at us, he just went in the lift and was never seen again.

This man was not wrong about the absurd amount of single use plastics used in China. It is disgusting and you have to keep on reminding every shopkeeper and barista, you don’t need all this plastic to carry your beverage or shopping. But it is a little hypocritical, is it not? This man was clearly from a Nordic country which is around 8000km away from Guangzhou.

You Do The Maths

A one way, long haul flight from Stockholm to Hong Kong produces 1.1 tonnes of CO2. This is around a quarter of the average person’s carbon footprint in one flight! If he wanted to travel back he would have already contributed 2.2 tonnes, taking up half of the average person’s CO2 emissions in one trip. So is the plastic handle on your cup really the issue, how many bubble teas would I have to have before it becomes more detrimental than my flight to get me there?

Now once again I am out saying that I agree the amount of plastic used in China, is truly horrifying and really puts into the cold light of day, how vast the problem of climate change is. What I am saying though is that this man should maybe have taken a look at his own carbon footprint before criticizing others.

I am not saying never get on a plane again. That would be absurd as travel is a key part of my life. However, unlike in countries like China, US and India, where a change in climate attitude could take decades, there is something that we as travellers can do, to make our travel more carbon neutral. I was shown a solution in the tiny Central American country of Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica

In the October of 2015 I travelled to the country of Costa Rica. We were taking part in a program called World Challenge, where a group of college students are sent to a foreign country to do some charity work and learn independence through travel. It was my first big trip. It was an amazing experience and was responsible for giving me the travel bug. If you want to read more about the experience of World Challenge and the charity work we did in Costa Rica follow this link to my blog ‘Pura Vida.’

It really is one of the most beautiful and fun countries I have ever been to. But besides being a stunning tourist location and the reason I fell in love with travel, Costa Rica has some amazing environmental ideas that will help us travel sustainably. Another reason I have to thank this wonderful country.

Costa Rica Leads The Globe

Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. It is also a leading country in the fight against climate change. The country’s officials wish to be Carbon Neutral by 2021, and are aiming for Zero Net Emissions by 2050. These aims really show it to be a country that fights against climate change and it is wanting to show other countries how to do it.

These policies aren’t only spoken about at the highest level either, they are mirrored in the society they are meant to represent. What we saw in Costa Rica is a culture that is embedded in nature and woven into the physical environment of the rainforest. They take the rainforest in Costa Rica very seriously, and it is the people’s duty to take care of it. This leads me very nicely to the man that embodied the whole spirit of taking care of the environment we live in, Rafa.

Rafa- The Carbon Neutral Conservation King

Rafa is one of the most incredible and unique men I have ever met. Our group of around 15 college kids were taken into the rainforest for what was called environmental conservation, the whole point of our second week. We were being taken there in order to plant enough trees to offset the carbon emission from our flight. But it wasn’t as simple as just rocking up to a field and planting a few trees. No, in Costa Rica you have to head into the rainforest to plant them, giving back to the environment that gives the people of Costa Rica life. Rafa was our guide.

Rafa met us at his house, a stilted treehouse built in the rainforest. It was stunning! A paradise surrounded by tall trees, apart from on one side where a clearing led to a spectacular view of the mountains. The sounds of birds I had never heard before played beautifully as the backing music. It was almost like he had just found one of the most beautiful spots on the planet and just decided he was going to build his house there. It is very common to build your own house in Costa Rica and they were very often overlooking stunning landscapes. But most of these homemade houses were little more than tin sheds, Rafa had made a wooden palace, or at least it felt like one due to there not being another human settlement for miles.

Welcome To The Jungle

Once we met Rafa he took us deeper into the rainforest and you could tell he was a real character. He was short but clearly built like a train, wielding a machete larger than any knife I have ever seen before. It would make Crocodile Dundee embarrassed. He just had a smile that never seemed to stop. He spoke very little English but had a way of communicating that let you know exactly what he wanted. One of the friendliest men I have ever met even though we didn’t really talk. He handed me and my friend a machete each in order to help him clear a path to where he wanted us to plant the trees. Full respect to him, he was around 50 and was a lot smaller then we were but was cutting through the forest like butter. Whereas my friend and I struggled with every swing.

We finally arrived where we were planting the trees after hacking away. It was kind of an underwhelming spot, tucked away in a dark spot of the forest. Rafa said the trees we were planting were very strong and will grow in any conditions so this is a good spot for them, leaving the nicer spots for the weaker trees. The hard work continued as we worked away planting these trees, but it was a good kind of labour. You really felt like you were doing something for the environment.

Giving Back

It probably took us around two hours to plant all the trees required to make our trip carbon neutral. Hard work as it was, but once it was all done Rafa took us back to his house where his wife had cooked us a delicious meal. It was very hearty food and was exactly what we needed because the rain was starting to fall. It was a rainforest after all. Rafa and his family were amazing hosts and I really enjoyed finding out about them and their lives even though we didn’t speak the same language. I still think about him and wonder if he is okay and if he is still doing what he loves and protecting his treasured rainforest.

Rafa was not only a great guy and a gracious host but he showed us just how we could make travelling carbon neutral and more environmentally friendly. Just think about it, take half a day out of your trip, find out how many trees you need to plant to offset your flights emissions and go find a place to plant them. Obviously for weekend breaks this will be a bit hard, but maybe just add a couple of trees on the end when you go for a longer trip. I acknowledge planting a few trees does not make you Greta Thurnbeg, but it is a start.

This Is Everyone’s Fight

The fight against climate change isn’t about a few people being perfect, it is about everyone chipping in and doing what we can, and as globetrotters surely we should be the first to come to the defence of the planet we love to explore so much. We should all look to try and make our flights carbon neutral. I am definitely not saying cancel your flights because looking after the environment is good but we need to explore it too.

If you can’t do it in your destination why not plant some trees when you get back? Or other methods of cancelling out your carbon emissions from your flight like cycling or walking more at home rather than driving, or even invest in a carbon footprint offset program like shown at carbonfootprint.com. All you need to do is calculate your carbon emissions and find a way to go carbon neutral. Then you can fly wherever you want knowing you aren’t affecting the environment, too badly.

So let’s look at the country of Costa Rica as a starting point and take it upon ourselves to go carbon neutral and help the environment, before it is too late.

Travel Story Society

Thank you for reading this blog and a big thank you to Cooky for hosting me on ‘Travel With Cooky’. If you want to see more blogs like this, or you think you would like to write a blog of your own, go to www.travelstorysociety.com. The Travel Story Society is a website that provides escapism and stories for people and also allows you to tell your travel stories as well. If you have a story to tell send it to us and we will feature it on our website.

Thank you again,

Matthew (Founder of The Travel Story Society)