¡Hola todos! Today was our second day in Turrialba, and it was our Environmental Justice Day! As tradition goes, the Global Glimpse Leaders were the Líderes del Día (LDDs) for today — we can’t wait for our first student LDDs tomorrow!!

We started with our delicious French toast breakfast by our cooks Diego and Emilia. Later we discussed our mental warm-up to put us in the mindset for the day with a quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Following our mind-setting, everyone got to finally enjoy the pool thanks to no rain in the forecast! Followed by yet another delicious meal for lunch: pastel de yucca with beef and cheese in the layers. Our group has been really enjoying the meals — there are always seconds and several clean plates. 🙂

Because our focus was on Environmental Justice, we watched some informational videos in preparation for our guest speaker Andres Zuniga–who goes by Fofo. He presented on environmental issues in Costa Rica, as well as the importance of considering the consequences of development on Costa Rican land in popular tourist destinations. We considered the effects on local populations and the wildlife affected by over-developing land for tourism. At what point does eco-tourism become harmful to the local populations and wildlife that were here first? How can we maybe create a more sustainable way to share the beauty of places like Costa Rica? Is there a way? These are all questions Fofo had us consider!

Where our group REALLY shined was in the debate that Fofo set up with everyone put into three groups: development, locals, and the government. The development and local groups came with their proposals for/against a new hotel and the government had to listen to the proposals and make a decision.

Our whole crew is thoughtful, critical, and enthusiastic! We finished with our nightly meeting, and introduced our new Lideres del Dia for tomorrow: Kyle and Kaylee (pictured)!!

Signing off,
Elena & Leona 😀