Our friends at Rainforest Alliance recently announced a very exciting collaboration Nestle Nespresso. They have come together to help reduce the environmental impact and increase the social benefits of coffee cultivation in tropical regions throughout the world. Jessica Webb of Rainforest Alliance sums up its direct value to Costa Rica, “One of the most significant impacts is that Nespresso will be sourcing primarily from small farms, so thousands of small producers will benefit directly from this large international alliance. It will help conserve acres of sustainably managed land and surrounding ecosystems, plus the employment and help benefits that will accrue to thousands of workers.”

The farms will meet guidelines for farming that integrate the three spheres of sustainability: economic viability, environmental conservation and social justice.The Rainforest Alliance and other nonprofit groups formed the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) in the early 90’s to develop the aforementioned guidelines and have since helped thousands of farmers adopt them on farms growing a variety of crops in 22 tropical countries.

During years of fieldwork in coffee-growing areas, specialists in sustainable farm management from the Rainforest Alliance and the SAN joined with coffee quality experts from Nespresso to explore every detail of farm and mill management, and to identify social and environmental improvements. The resulting comprehensive program is called “Ecolaboration.

Farms that are certified in this new, innovative program have to comply with a wide variety of standards covering all aspects of sustainable farming, including soil and water conservation, protection of wildlife and forests, and ensuring that farm workers, women and children have all the proper rights and benefits, such as good wages, clean drinking water, access to schools and healthcare and security.

“The happy marriage of sustainability and quality proves the importance of an integrated approach, one that results in benefits for farmers, wildlife, ecosystems and communities”, says Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance.

Richard Girardot, CEO of Nestle Nespresso concurs, “We want to share value with the farmers who grow these highly prized coffees. Their quality of life, environmental quality and quality in the cup are equally interlinked.”

The Nespresso program already boasts six million espresso aficionados. Their coffee comes in capsules that get popped into a special Nespresso machine. It’s a great marketing idea with coffee that tastes good, while making you feel good about supporting a sustainable quality program benefiting small coffee farmers in Costa Rica and around the world

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A number of months ago, we welcomed Stephen Brooks to Nature Blog. Stephen is a very high energy guy, who is on a mission in Costa Rica. He is an environmental warrior, a proponent of eating healthy foods, and an advocate for sustainable living. Presently, he is very involved in launching the Machuca community, an eco-village project in San Mateo de Orotina, located in the north Pacific region of the country. This serves as the back drop for Stephen’s current contribution. He has a great perspective on where we are at and where we need to be going and I encourage you to read on.

“In 1995, while on vacation in Costa Rica, I witnessed a playground full of indigenous children getting sprayed by a crop duster while playing Soccer. I learned how in order to grow cheaper and cheaper bananas entire ecosystems and countless lives are being destroyed, and this realization changed my life forever and led to a series of business mostly focused in Costa Rica.  I couldn’t believe my eyes. How could a society that has achieved so much be so destructive? We can zip around the world on jets and video chat through our cell phones and yet most of the food we eat is grown with harmful chemicals, while the last remaining sustainable farmers are less and less able to stay in business. So those who should be teaching the whole world how to become sustainable are themselves being lost to unsustainable global trends. We have to turn this around. We can’t think of anything more important to do and so that is what we are devoting our lives to. Whether its through the development of sustainable communities (Kopali Communities) or through the marketing of products grown and produced by sustainable farmers (Kopali Organics). Read on…

Picked up a recent posting on an excellent blog that covers happenings in Costa Rica. It was a story on biodegradable food takeout carriers with a multitude of uses. It has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration Unlike the plastic based products, its contents can be heat or frozen, which is an incredible convenience. The fiber is extracted from African Palm and its fruits. It is treated and molded at high temperatures, solidifying its shape. It only takes 90 days for the material to break down into water, carbon and humus, a soil ingredient. These are the innovations that are necessary to support Costa Rica’s efforts toward sustainability and protecting its environment at the same time.

Please read costaricapages.com for more about this story.  There is additional information available at La Nacion, explaining that the material was created by Ecological Malaysia Packaging, and it will be distributed by Musa Green. According to La Nacion, the material is estimated to be about 20% more expensive than comparable styrofoam packaging. Andres Saborio, of Musa Green, points out that this is an environmental service and not a cost only issue.

This is definitely a step in the right direction, and one that attempts to keep the country on the path toward sustainable development, while protecting its environment. We encourage you to let friends and business associates know about the availability of this new packaging.