Sustainable Hotels- Win $$$

Costa Rica is currently giving away $1,000,000 of travel money. Winners will stay only at resorts with 5 leaves. We wanted to know what these leaves are! Therefore, we stayed at El Establo and Hotel Parador and learned about many sustainability practices that earn them leaves. Leaves represent how sustainable they are, at the same time earning them credits on taxes to save money.  El Establo has 1 leaf. They are sustainable in several ways, here are a few: 1) key cards are required in the room to run the electricity, 2) rooms have no heat or air conditioning, 3) rooms have organic and inorganic recycling, and 4) they purchased 40 hectors of land to build the hotel on so they could conserve the area and its resources. The hotel property is breath taking.We also learned that customers are not always happy about following the rules and often find methods to prevent sustainability efforts from working properly (like rigging the room to run electricity even without the key card). They are working very hard to attain all five leaves.

We traveled to Hotel Parador, stopping by the Monteverde Reserve on the way to see hummingbirds and at lunch we spotted several crocodiles while walking over a bridge. They looked hungry, yikes!

When we arrived at Hotel Parador (5 leaves!), we toured the facilities to learn all about their sustainability practices. The hotel is very beautiful and has been rated the best hotel in Costa Rica since 2004. Some of the things that caught our eye is that they conserve by 1) saving rain water, 2) creating compost (and selling it for a hefty profit), 3) recycling, 4)  conserving energy with key cards, 5) using energy efficient appliances that use less water and run on fewer cycles, 6) using biodegradable detergents and soaps, and 7) using a water treatment plant to clean water from the sewage and cleaning. It was really neat walking through the trails to see Sloths and Tucans, although it is about 100% humidity and 90 plus degrees. Pool wasn't bad looking, though we never had the time to take advantage of it.










Overall, it was great to see the differences and similarities between a 1 leaf hotel and a 5 leaf hotel. Students will be writing about these and sharing details soon! What a cool comparison!



Bryant University Sustainable Marketing 385

One With Nature in Costa Rica

Students on the Sustainability Marketing 385 course have had their days filled with exciting experiences. As you have seen throughout this blog, they are now sustainable coffee experts! Alongside such fruitful (pun intended) experiences, they have had the opportunity to submerge themselves in the Costa Rican culture by chatting with locals, hearing stories of coffee farm families, and participating in many local activities that have brought them closer to nature and each other.

One of the best ways to get students to appreciate the earth, nature, and our planet is to submerge them in nature. Costa Rica is the best place to do this! One of the most popular adventures was the Sky Tram zip line. We zipped through the rainforest, 600 feet above ground, over 3,000 feet in length, over 7 times, up to 50 seconds per line. Views of the rainforest blew our minds! Although many were fearful of the height, they overcame their fear and came together to experience the beauty of the rainforest. What a day!


Another way we submerged ourselves in nature was literally jumping into the hot springs! We visited the Tabacon Hot Springs near Arenal. The hot springs are an expression of the earth's energy. The springs are created by 97% rain-based and heated by 3% magma from the Arenal volcano. The human body benefits from the warm temperature since it improves oxygen flow, muscle relaxation, and the strengthens the skin's defense mechanism via "biogleas". Students left Arenal feeling calm, relaxed, and appreciative of clean, hot, mineral water.


 
Overall, we all had a great time flying from tree to tree (like tarzan or a monkey!) and dipping into a natural hot spring. What better way to engage with nature than high up above, and closest to the core.

Fun Facts:
- Kaylee thought she couldn't handle the zip line, but she completed the course like a champ! We are proud of you Kaylee!
- Michael was a pro at zip lining. We think he has done it before!
- Sarah went down the slide at Tabacon 4 times!

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 6 Don Juan Coffee Tour

           Today we had another great adventure in Costa Rica. We traveled by boat and then bused all the way to the Monteverde region. On the boat ride, we saw many different birds including Osprey and Heron. The rolling hills’ vegetation was a gorgeous start to our morning. Although we had an unexpected experience on the bus ride to our hotel, we now look back on it as something that brought the group closer together. As we were driving up a steep hill in the Monteverde area, the bus slid into a ditch which was frightening for many. Not to worry, our wonderful tour guide, Jonathan, was able to find someone to pull us out with the tractor! Thankfully because of the friendly and hospitable locals, we were able to continue the rest of our day on schedule.

            Once we arrived in Monteverde, we reached the Don Juan Coffee Plantation, where we had our final coffee tour of the Marketing Sustainability course in the country. Luckily, when we arrived we were greeted by Don Juan and his dog, Tequila. Although he is now retired, his business remains family-oriented with many of his nine children and 23 grandchildren (who have also blessed him with four great-grandchildren) working on the plantation.

            The plantation is relatively small, only taking up 25 acres of land, with five dedicated to the production of coffee. The tradition of the tour began only six years ago after demand from local customers to learn about the coffee process. We learned that espresso is made from dark roast even though light roast has more caffeine. This is because the light roast has too much acidity for espresso, whose drinkers usually enjoy the stronger taste of a concentrated dark roast. Shortly after, we learned about how the plants and minerals in soil affect the flavors of the coffee beans. This includes citrus, tobacco, flowers, and anything else surrounding the plant. 

Fun Fact!

• Coffee beans are boiled to extract the caffeine in the decaffeination process
• After the process is complete, the water is distilled
• The remaining caffeine powder is sold to companies that produce energy drinks, energy bars and pharmaceuticals (like aspirin)

The Don Juan Plantation is in the process of making all of their coffee organic. This has been in the process for about three years, and they hope to be completely organic within approximately five years. Although some chemicals are used to protect the coffee plants, there are others sustainable efforts such as using chicken waste as compost. Don Juan’s main reason for making the switch to growing organic coffee is because they know it is better for the environment. The weather also has a huge impact of the coffee. If it is too rainy, the beans will be drowned and turn a black color, often with a crack down the middle of the cherry, which prevents them from being processed. If the environment is too dry or hot, the coffee can dry up and this will compromise the flavor of the beans.

Fun Fact!

• Don Juan practices fair-trade and pays the pickers $3 per basket picked.
• The average price paid (per basket) is only about $1.50 each.
• Don Juan Coffee Plantation employees receive both free medical insurance as well as education.
•  Even with this above average salary, they sell their coffee for only $9 per 340 gram bag.

Fun Fact!

• Don Juan met his wife, Ophelia, at the age of 9 on a coffee plantation he worked at after running away from home. They ended up getting married at age 16 and are still together today.

             Next, we had the opportunity to see the old fashioned ways coffee plantations process the cherries. They used a crank-type machine which spit out the cherry pulp on one side and allowed the beans to fall through the other side. The waste of the pulp is used with worms to create more compost for the plantation. One of the highlights for the group was when three of our classmates ate the worms from the compost! They actually have more nutrients than meat.

The large beans are considered first class, used to make the best roasts and are the most expensive. The small and broken beans are second class, usually used for in-country production and instant coffees. We also learned about third class beans – the fruits that are damaged from too much water absorption or become too ripe are filed into the third class category. These beans are used for candles, soaps and fragrances.

Fun Fact!

• Did you know the proper way to store coffee is to store it in a closed container (preferably glass) at room temperature?  
• If stored outside of a container alone, the coffee will absorb other elements like fruits, onions, or spices.

The last stop on our tour was the best because we had an awesome opportunity to sample cocoa beans and sugarcane picked only ten minutes prior. We were able to see how to make organic, homemade hot cocoa. They even included black pepper in the recipe – turns out, it actually increases and improves the flavor of the drink!

               Overall, it was many of the students’ favorite tours; not only was it entertaining, but the family atmosphere and the focus on being sustainable and environmentally and socially conscious impressed us all. We can’t wait to keep in contact with our tour guide and Don Juan!

Steph, Sarah, Tomo

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 5 Rancho Margot

After spending a few hours in the Tabacon Hot Springs recovering from the first four action packed days the group was ready to take on everything that Rancho Margot has to offer. With over four hundred acres of forest and farmland Rancho Margot has is home to a very diverse population of plant and animal life. Not only that, but Rancho Margo is one of the most advanced sustainable eco-tourism projects in all of Costa Rica and the world. The passion that the farmers and workers at Rancho Margot have is refreshing to see. They all care so much about the animals and plants that they are responsible for. Animals including horses, cattle, pigs, and chickens all have the privilege of living on a farm such as Rancho Margot. These animals receive a completely organic and vegetarian diet which is all grown on the property itself. While we were there we saw a calf that was born just hours before!

Nothing goes to waste at Rancho Margot; everything down to the left over kitchen oil from their restaurant and nearby hotels is used in some capacity to help sustain the environment. The oil is used to make soaps instead of allowing the oil to contaminate the water. One liter of cooking oil can contaminate about 1000 liters of water. Leftover pieces of soap are melted down and used as laundry detergent.

Rancho Margot uses coils embedded inside their compost piles to heat the water for their showers. All of the electricity on the ranch is created by two large hydro-turbine generators (8 and 42 kilowatts per hour). The farm’s success is based on careful planning of circular processes. Circular processes are implemented in multiple areas of the farm; this ensures that there are no end products to a certain process. The staff emphasized how they try to be creative and innovative when trying to solve complex environmental problems which involve variables like temperature, humidity, soil composition and plant and animal health.

Aside from being a highly developed sustainable community, the ranch has developed educational and research programs that will allow the further training of its staff and even develop new practices. Rancho Margot has become a center for scholarship, research and sustainable development that welcomes students from all around Costa Rica and the world. It was very exciting and refreshing to experience a completely sustainable community not contaminated with the values of western capitalism. This ranch offers a completely different lifestyle than the one we are all used to. This allowed us to realize how narrow the scope of our lives can be and how other cultures find creative ways to live sustainably.

Fun Facts:

• Lemon grass, the root beer plant, garlic, and ginger can be used as natural insect repellent.
• Rancho Margot is home to 9 of the 50 species of hummingbird in Costa Rica.
• In an effort to be even more self-sufficient, Rancho Margot is working on a project to create their own bio-diesel to power their backup generator. 

Juan Aviles, Garrett Byrne, and Mike Moalli

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 4 Espiritu Santo Coffee Tour

When we asked our tour guide Ed which type of coffee was the best, he immediately fired back the question, “What’s your favorite music?” All of us were puzzled, as the question seemed irrelevant and everyone had a different response. “You see,” he said, “just like music, everyone has different tastes in coffee, it is impossible to say which is best because it depends on what you like.”

Espiritu exports to companies that we’re familiar with such as Pete’s, Royale, and Caribou. The plantation itself consists of 630 acres located in the Alajuela area of Costa Rica. Here are a few key points we gathered during our morning at the plantation:

• There are 2,500 members of the co-op (a group of farmers who work together and own a share in the company based on how much they produce), and 40% of the co-op members are women (girl power!).
• 4 million lbs of cherries are collected in a harvest (annually), and out of these 4 million only 1 million lbs of coffee beans are produced (average of 7 lbs per plant).
• The average picker can fill approximately 15 baskets (25 lbs per basket) in an 8 hour work day (We were thinking we could only fill about 3 – lazy Americans).
• A majority of the pickers are from Nicaragua, and the best of the best can fill up to 50 baskets in a day, earning themselves about $100 in just one day. (The average teacher in Nicaragua earns $150 per MONTH).

Harvest time for the coffee plants on the Espiritu plantation is from October to February. About 1-2 months after planting the seeds, germination will occur. After two years, the cherries are ready to pick however the plant is not matured until it is 5 years old. These plants last an average of 25 years in the Alajuela area, although they do become less productive as they age. The coffee plants receive their first pruning (trimming the tree) after 6 years and this process will then reoccur every 3 years. Cherries that are uniform in color usually produce the best quality coffee. After the cherries are picked, they should be stored for no longer than 20 hours or else they will start to ferment and smell like vinegar. Two years aging the dried coffee beans will yield a great quality, similar to aging wine.

Although Espiritu’s coffee is only 95% organic, they do use many sustainable practices. The reason they aren’t 100% organic is due to the fact that they must spray chemicals once a year to combat fungi. In order to receive an organic certification, Espiritu will need 5 years to “cleanse” the land. Currently, Espiritu is in the process of restoring a section of land for these sustainable practices. Espiritu received a certification for sustainable tourism from the Sustainability Programs Department of the Costa Rica Tourism Board and the Costa Rica Nation Accreditation Commission. A few sustainable practices that Espiritu has in place already include:

• The burning of parchment (dry coffee bean skins) is used to power machinery.
• Cherries that are infected can’t be processed; however the pulp surrounding the bean is used as a natural fertilizer.
• Sun drying the beans rather than machine drying them.
• The use of handmade contraptions which trap insects using alcohol.
• The use of the “chorreador” eliminates electric coffee makers and is a way for coffee consumers to also be sustainable.
  
  

The Funnest of Facts

• “Little Soldiers” are what they call sprouting coffee plants because of their helmet-like exterior and the fact that they have to “fight to survive.”
• Coffee plants are self pollinating – only 6% require outside help from insects, hummingbirds, wind, etc.
• The most expensive coffee in the world, called “Kopi Luwak,” hails from Indonesia. It is made from coffee beans that have been eaten, partly digested and then excreted by the civet, a weasel-like animal. These bags sell for up to $600 per POUND and up to $50 per CUP.
• Just like you can tell how old a person is based on how many wrinkles they have; you can also tell how old a coffee plant is based on the number of times it has been pruned.
• The “broca” beetle (less than 1 mm in size) eats many other fruits however can only lay eggs in the coffee bean; Only 2% of Espiritu’s cherries are infected by these invaders.
• The coffee produced at Espiritu contains only 0.9%-1.7% caffeine, while other types of coffee could potentially contain up to 4% (yikes).
  

Learn Some Spanish! (Warning: Don't try this at home!)

The Costa Rican saying,  “Montese en la Carreta,” which means get on the wagon, actually refers back to when the ox-cart drivers would stop in a little town along their journey and become intoxicated to the point that they couldn’t walk, so they would have to “get on the wagon” so they could continue.

Colin, Justin, Leah, Samantha

Bryant University, Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 3 San Jose CIty Tour

Buenos Dias!

Our trip to downtown San Jose yesterday was both entertaining and educational. We stopped at market central, which is like a huge indoor flee market flooded with souvenirs and items more suited for the locals such as raw and dried meat assortments (it seemed like every kind of animal and body part were there), live animals (hundreds of little chicks), used and new clothing and footwear. We noticed many differences from American practice such as 1) female mannequin's have larger thighs and are more curvey than their American counterparts, 2) you can negotiate at all of the stores for a better price, 3) stores showcase merchandise in the store window with price stickers large enough to see without coming in, which might be practiced to prevent people from coming in and touching all of the clothes to find pricing, and 4) The store workers were so accommodating.  

 

Next, we visited a coffee shop to interview the salespeople and observe the pricing and display. One of our students tested his broken Spanish and asked questions for the group. We learned that organic coffee was almost double the price of regular coffee, and that single seed (very rare) coffee beans sell for the same premium. It was great to see the retailing perspective of the coffee industry.

We were very lucky to take a tour of the National Theater. This beautiful theater was built by coffee farmers as a place to enjoy culture and the arts. The architecture screams Italian and French influence, and even the women depicted in the paintings on the ceilings are very fair skinned, misrepresenting Costa Ricans. We assume the painter didn’t do his homework!  Regardless, it was refreshing to know that coffee farmers had such a strong influence on the culture of the Costa Ricans as the theater is still active. 

To continue our cultural journey, we headed to the Pre-Colombian Gold Museum to admire gold pieces of art collected for centuries. We found out that although Costa Rica is rich in gold the conservation of the Rainforest is their number one priority. We also viewed a special exhibit featuring large cats like the Cougar. Can you tell what kind of cat this is?

We completed the day with dinner at a local San Jose restaurant. Everyone seemed to enjoy their fresh-squeezed fruit drinks (like guava, passion fruit, strawberry) and large platters of traditional Costa Rican cuisine (steak, chicken, seafood, rice). One student even claimed that her seafood soup was the best she has ever had! Muy Bueno!

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 3 Café Britt Tour

Hola!

Today we headed to Barva de Heredia for a tour of Café Britt, the first gourmet coffee roaster in Costa Rica.  Upon arrival we were greeted by enthusiastic and highly entertaining tour guides who provided us with a lot of information, fun facts, and history about the production of coffee.  The tour began with a brief explanation of the history of coffee, focusing on where it started and how it ultimately ended up in Costa Rica.  The guide explained that the Costa Rican economy was rejuvenated by entering into the coffee industry, which is why coffee continues to be a major component of the Costa Rican culture. 

We then visited the nursery where we learned that it grows in the nursery for a year before they plant it in the field.  Then, we ventured through the coffee plants to see sustainable pest control, which was really different and creative. They use a handmade contraption consisting of plastic cups, a lid, string, water and a little bit of alcohol (the bugs like rum).  These mechanisms are hung in the coffee bushes. The bugs get drunk and fly into the water where they drown, but at least they are happy.  

Next stop on the tour was the roasting and packaging process.  Café Britt is primarily a roaster.  While they do grow their own beans, the majority of their coffee is purchased from organic shade grown farms in the area.  Although they take pride in using sustainable production measures and producing organic coffee, they shared this interesting fact with us, “Costa Rica produces 2% of the world’s coffee however, only 5% of that is organic”.  We found this to be very interesting considering the trend of companies moving toward organic and sustainable products.  We learned that Café Britt packages their coffee in specialized bags that allow the coffee to stay fresh for a year before it is opened and up to a month after.

We then learned the cupping process for the second time.  Their techniques were very similar however this time we were offered tips on how we as consumers can keep the coffee fresh and delicious like they do.  We ended the tour with a traditional Costa Rican lunch and lots of delicious coffee.

In conjunction with what we learned yesterday a lot of loose ends were tied up allowing us to obtain a greater understanding of what it takes for coffee to go from bean to cup. Pura Vida!

Tips for a great tasting coffee:

1.  Purchase pre-ground coffee unless you have a proper grinder and know how to do so. It makes all the      difference in the taste. Fine ground coffee is only for espresso.
2.  Do not leave your coffee in the pot for more than 10 minutes.
3. Consume coffee within 20 minutes of pouring. 
4. In order to preserve coffee throughout the day keep it in a thermos. 

Laura Bowen, Brittany Hart, Jennifer Jacob

Bryant Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 2 Highland Fruit Tour

Pura vida! Greetings from Costa Rica, today was our first full day in country and it was full of activities and unique experiences. We ventured from our hotel in San Jose, CR to La Cope de Dota to the Highland Fruit Tour, a plantation located in the mountains of the Los Santos valley. The tour started with a quick showcase of some of the 14 fruits that are grown on the plantation. Most of the fruits on the plantation were unfamiliar to me and a few were even exclusive to Costa Rica. Among these were papaya, naranjillas (little oranges), tomatillos arboles (tree tomatoes), passion fruit, sweet lemons, guava, figs, and more than 13 variations of avocado!

The fruits were incredible and all of them had exquisite tastes. Even the avocado, which I eat all the time in America, tasted much better than what I am used to. The great taste of all of the produce can be attributed to the sustainable farming practices that are used on the plantation. Ninety-five percent of the fruit on the farm was completely organic. No pesticides or chemicals are used on the fruit, only mixes of spices, eucalyptus, and rinds of discarded fruit are placed at the base of the fruit-bearing trees once every week. As Olman Serrano(the proprietor), was chopping up some of the unique fruits his farm had to offer. Olman said something interesting in that he did not add a premium to the prices of his fruit because they are organic, but rather feel it is his ecological responsibility to go organic.

In order to control pest problems related with organic farming, Olman uses bio-pesticides. Bio-pesticides include using natural bacteria in order to kill the insects and diseases that would kill the produce. I thought this was interesting since regular pesticides are strictly against use for organic farming, but these bio-pesticides are considered ok in the organic process. My only concern is that things like this could open-up gateways for large companies to exploit the labels of organic and genetically create foods that may be “organic” by title, but do not actually have the health benefits that one would expect to be related.

           The most impressive part of the trip was the hike up La Passe de la Muerte, roughly translated as the trail of death,  a narrow, steep, winding path that took our group 2,010 meters up to the top of the mountain that overlooked the farm. On the walk up, which at times was as scary as its name suggests, we encountered a different type of avocado tree at nearly every turn.  When we finally reached the top of the mountain the views were incredible. It was a great hike, it gave me a ton of energy and I feel like it was the perfect welcome to this beautiful country. Despite the mild sunburn that’s stinging the back of my neck, the first day in Costa Rica was a resounding success- I can’t wait to see what we will experience tomorrow.


Tyler Pepe & Michael Banville
Bryant Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 2 Bio-Coffee Adventure Tour

Today we began our coffee journey by taking a bio-coffee adventure at Coope Dota, which is one of the leading coffee producers in the world.  Located in the downtown area of Dota in the Tarrazu region some of the world’s finest coffee is produced here.  We began the adventure through a step-by-step walk through from harvest to package.  Through each of these steps we experienced hands on interaction literally walking through each phase within the facility itself. 

1. Once the coffee cherries arrive to the plant from the farms they are released into an empty pool where water is then poured over the cherries in order to remove the outer layer called the pulp.  Once the pulp is removed the fermentation process begins causing the layer of honey around the bean to separate.  This process takes 6-10 hours. 
2. After this, the beans are laid outside in the sun to begin the drying process.  They will remain outside for 24 hours. 

1. Next they are put into a 27 foot oak wood silo to control the temperature and humidity of the beans.  The beans remain here for at least one month to “rest”. 
2. Once the beans are ready to be packaged they are placed into rotary dryers, which use hot air to finalize the drying process. 
3. Once dry, the beans are sorted based on color and weight using various machines.  The heavier the bean, the better the quality!

90% of these beans are placed in burlap sacks and exported internationally where the purchasing country will roast and package them.  The remaining 10% legally must remain in Costa Rica.  These beans then move to a different facility where they are roasted and packaged.  The medium roast is the most popular amongst the Costa Rican people but they also produce small quantities of light and dark roast beans.  Once roasted the beans are placed into packaging specific to the company that is purchasing them.

Cope Dota implements several sustainable practices in their coffee process procedures. 

1. The waste water from the fermentation process is emptied into a ditch on site.  This water is then pre-heated, boiled and vaporized into steam resulting in ethanol.  The ethanol from this process accounts for 8% of the fuels used to power vehicles in Costa Rica.  In the past, this waste water was dumped into the river leading to severe pollution. 
2. The honey left over from the fermentation process is used to generate methane which is used to power some of the machines used at the plant.  The pulp is almost completely burned as fuel.  The parchment (the outer coating of the bean) and pulp are used as fuel for the rotary dryers almost completely replacing the 30 acres of forest used annually prior to this sustainable practice. 

Nearing the end of our adventure, we participated in a coffee tasting to evaluate the different qualities of the coffee produced at the plant.  The coffee is rated on several factors including, fragrance/aroma, flavor/after taste, acidity, body, uniformity/balance, and clean cup/sweet.  Check out the video below to see how we tasted the coffee.

We finished up our adventure competing among one another in teams to see who could pick the most coffee beans off of the coffee trees.  See picture below!

Lastly we went to Coope Dota’s café where we received our choice of either cappuccino, black coffee, coffee con leche (milk), or frozen coffee.  Delicioso!

                This entire experience blew our taste buds! A few of our personal favorite aspects of the adventure include the bean picking competition, and the hands on opportunity to actually touch, move, and experience the coffee beans in the production process! 

Fun facts: 

• Breaking the cup = when tasting coffee, swirl the cup of coffee grounds and 93degree water while inhaling the aroma of the coffee for 7 seconds
• Cleaning the cup = during the coffee tasting process, removing the foam from the top of each cup
• The majority of the 800 farmers involved in Coope Dota are certified as part of the rainforest alliance

Sarah, Kaylee, Christine
Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Day 1 Arrival

Costa Rica....we have arrived! Upon arrival we were met with a warm chocolate chip cookie at check-in at our beautiful Hilton Hotel in San Jose. After settling in, students enjoyed a beverage by the pool. Time to get some sleep as our trip to the coffee farm starts at 7:30am! Below is a picture from the airport after immigration.

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385

Pre Departure

Hello friends!

We are excited to be leaving soon for our Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385 course to study the Coffee Industry in Costa Rica. We leave Tuesday morning and will be in San Jose Tuesday evening. We hope to share our experiences with you all as we embark on a rich learning experience. Please stay tuned for a daily blog with pictures, videos and updates on what we are learning.

Pura Vida! ("Pura vida literally means Pura = pure and vida = life, but "Pure life" in Spanish would be "Vida pura" instead, so the real meaning is closer to "plenty of life", "full of life", "this is living!", "going great", "real living","Awesome!" or "cool!" It can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, to express satisfaction, to politely express indifference when describing something or even to say "thank you" or "you're welcome". The phrase has become universally known in Costa Rica and it has been used by many Costa Ricans (and expatriates) since 1956") ---Dictionary of Latin American Terms via Wikipedia

Bryant University Sustainability Marketing 385 (MKT385)