To begin the day, Diego, a speaker with the organization called Mundo Verde, came in to give a presentation about the climate change that is taking place in Panama. Mundo Verde (Munver) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting a sustainable, clean Earth. Their mission is to improve the Panamanian’s quality of life, develop comprehensive professional training around natural resources, and advocate for change in the agriculture and livestock industry so that it is less harmful to the land. One idea Diego introduced to the group was the 5 R’s — repair, regulate, reduce, reuse, and recycle. The additional two R’s, repair and regulate, were definitely new views on how we can work towards helping the planet.

Afterwards, we travelled to playa Monagre, a local beach area. Here we were all able to help in collecting washed up plastics and other miscellaneous garbage.

Finally, we met a man named Willy who gave us a tour of his property/farm. Willy is originally from Florida, but he has been living in his specific house in Panama for 11 years now. He works to help grow trees and he encourages the locals to do the same by involving students in the planting process. In his time being here he has noticed major changes in the environment around him such as the increasing ocean level and the decrease in a native tree called Mangroves. Mangroves are the only trees that grow in salt water, one of their jobs is to help hold the sand in place around edges of islands.