Monteverde, Costa Rica

DESCRIPTION

The reason for this trip was a study abroad program call Sustainable Futures. Twelve students from UB and University of Maryland go to the Monteverde Institute where school was handled much like working in an office for 10 weeks. For many of us, this was our first taste of what working at a firm would be. We worked as a team on various projects for the community, some that were to be built and others that we conceptual in nature.

Costa Rica is very advanced in terms of renewable energy and their carbon footprint and we got to see that first hand. We traveled and learned about wind mills, solar farms, hydro power plants, and many other innovative technologies. We did things like waterfall repelled, zip lined, climbed up the center of trees, and spent a lot of time in rainforests. We lived with local families to take in the culture.

At the end of the trip, we presented our proposed design for an addition to the school to the neighbors, faculty, and students of the school. In the end, it was a project and a time that I will never forget.

P.S. An added part of the learning experience was breaking my leg there attempting to skimboard. Of all of the knowledge that I learned, learning about the healthcare system of Costa Rica is something that I hope to never use again.