A BLAST FROM THE PAST

Hi there! This is Wen, from the 2007 volunteer season. I am so excited to read all these posts by this years' volunteers... How lucky you are, and how I wish I was back! I just wanted to tell you all that even though the program lasts for just 2 short weeks, the experience does not end when you pack up your bags. Be prepared to make life-long memories and friendships! Yes, team members do come from all over North America, but rest assured that you will find opportunities to cross paths again... Last winter, three members of the 2007 team were able to have a reunion in Los Angeles. I was so happy to see Sandy and Scot again! We had Indian food (although we would have much prefered fresh Costa Rican pineapple) and reminisced about those 2 marvelous weeks we spent together in Tarrazú, under the shade trees amongst the beautiful coffee plants. Other members of our team have also had reunions in other cities across the continent (in fact, I've heard that there was just a gathering up in Vancouver earlier this month). Let's face it... Earthwatch volunteers have a stong bond we share with no one else!

The sound of one hand clapping...

This is Matt with a few final thoughts after returning from our expedition. A week has passed since I left Costa Rica and parted ways with some amazing new friends. I've had some time now to decompress, get much needed rest, and think about how our expedition has affected me and what it means.

First, I want to say that Earthwatch did a great job in describing what was needed. I was well prepared with the recommended gear and worked harder during my workouts in anticipation of the physical requirements, but I don't think anyone can prep you for the mental stress of living every moment in a vacuum for 2 weeks with a dozen strangers, working in the pouring rain on slopes steep enough to start the adrenaline pumping, and the bouts of home sickness that would hit as you went to sleep each night. There were some days where the signs were visible on everyone's faces, where it wouldn't take much to send each one of us over the edge, both literally and figuratively. But I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. It's in those times where you learn the most about yourself and the others around you. We formed new friendships in a very short amount of time because everyone was being their true selves and couldn't keep up the facade that we all put up for people we don't know well. In the end we all made it, we all learned about our mental and physical limits and how to push through them, and now we are all stronger for it. This is something that I simply could not experience in my world of information technology at the Starbucks Support Center.

Once you go through that inner transformation, you have more mental clarity and are able to better see the world around you. Observing the world that the coffee farmers live in, the challenges they face trying to balance between sustainability and profitability where the standard of living continues to rise, you develop an immense respect for what they do and the intense pride they exude for their farms and country.

Some people may go home and make life changing decisions about their lives because of this expedition, while others will simply make small but meaningful changes to better themselves and the world we live in. I don't believe anyone will simply return to the status quo. We've experienced what sustainability really means at the source, and I hope we can all teach that to others and improve the lives and ecosystems around us in even the smallest way.

Costa Rica left an imprint on every one of us. I can't look at one of the 500 photos that I brought back without taking a deep breath and feeling a sense of peace. I can't sip a cup of coffee without thinking about where those tiny beans came from and if I might have counted one of the trees. I know that this is a place that I will return too as often as possible and when I do, I know that there are warm and welcoming people waiting to say hello at the local market.

Thank you Starbucks, Earthwatch, Costa Rica, and all my new friends.

- Matt

It's more then a research project

Being part of the research program: “Sustainable Farming Practices in Tarrazú, Costa Rica” has been more than a professional experience…a personal experience. For me it has been an opportunity to exchange cultural aspects with people from others countries. The most value is to show Earthwatch and Starbucks volunteers our farmers from the region, their style of life and our “families”. This exchange also helps people from the region to value even more the resources: people, nature, style of life, others. I hope the results of the research will be useful in different contexts: in a local way (finding the understanding of more sustainable practices in coffee, in farmers and cooperatives from Los Santos Region and others countries in the world) and also in a global way (finding better relationships to improve marketing in companies like Starbucks Coffee, providing the customers more coffee produced in a sustainable way).
Tarrazú Coffee Region in Costa Rica is very lucky having this great opportunity!
Sincerely,
Natalia Ureña Retana, July, 2008
Field Coordinator, “Sustainable Farming Practices in Tarrazú, Costa Rica”

And now a word from the Boss

Hi!

Today it is my turn to do some writing on this blog. My name is Sebastián Castro Tanzi, and I am one of the researchers in the “Sustainable Coffee Farm Management” project ran by Earthwatch. I have to say that it has been almost a week since our first group of Starbucks volunteers left Tarrazú. With them, we were able to enjoy the beauty of this environment located between the Talamanca mountain range and the Pacífic Coast in Costa Rica.

Earthwatch is about doing science to support sustainable use of resources. This implies generating knowledge to support local stakeholders on their management decision. Scientific knowledge is acquired through research applying the scientific method. On a practical term, it is someone studying a given object or phenomenon under certain rules. Sounds pretty straight forward, right?

But life is not that simple and straight forward. It turns out that the object being studied might constantly change. Take for example coffee production, where the age of the plantation, the variety of plants, the shade tree density, the climate conditions determine the amount of coffee (and the quality) that is produce in a certain field. That is a reason we will have to visit and revisit so many fields during this three year period. Hopefully, thanks to the work of so many volunteer we will be able to understand the mechanisms behind sustainable coffee production.

And than to fulfill this research cycle, the subject doing the study is also constantly changing. While we go on studying something, little by little we start improving our way of viewing the problem. Intuition and analysis of the evidence at hand is very important. I’ve also found out how important in this part of the process is sharing your ideas with others. They don’t have to be necessarily scientist or such. In my case, I often work with volunteers from other latitudes during the field seasons. And I find it such a rewarding experience. For example, to explain why we will be doing something in the field, you have to take time to really understand it. Or to answer an innocent question asked in a field day related to plant growth, soil conservation or any related subject, you have to stop for a second, look around and try to link what is going on in the field with your little knowledge. Many times we can’t even get to a complete answer, but just the fact of standing there in the same environment coffee plants have to grow and farmers have to face every production season, gives you an insight of what is going on. And at the same time we grow and we change. The first time I got wet because of rain while collecting data,

Therefore, I have to say that every single group of volunteers richens my experience here in Tarrazú, for which I am so so grateful. In this occasion (June 2008) I had the chance to spend 2 weeks with wonderful people from all around Starbucks World (and what a big world it is I have to say). They come here to learn about one of their passions: coffee, but I bet that they end up learning about other important things related to themselves. I am just glad knowing that I have so many new friends around the Earth.

Saludos desde Tarrazú!,

Sebastián Castro T.

Reflection

My heart hurts tonight. We are heading home early tomorrow morning and returning to the same routines as different people who have experienced much in a two week time period. I don’t feel that it is my time to leave, there is still so much left here to do. It is so fulfilling to be a part of something so huge that is still so personal. I have been overwhelmed by emotions that have rekindled my passion for people and the connections that are made.
Sometimes people choose not to act on something that they are passionate about because they think that it is futile, or that they won’t be able to make an impact. I have been guilty of the same thing. My time here with the farmers and the scientists from Costa Rica has shown me that one person, one laugh, one lesson, one insight, can cause a ripple, affecting everyone around them. I have grown exponentially being here. I feel as though I have lost so much time, and that I can’t get involved in the things that matter fast enough. My fortune cookie to you is that if you are standing still, it is time to move. The unnoticed, under appreciated, undiscovered, and uninvolved of this world are not going to move unless we move them. Move them by our willingness to act. Move them by our willingness to work hard for others and not ourselves, and move them with our genuine concern for the wellbeing of the environment and the people affected by it. -Roxanne

Farmer Stories, My Story

Lindsay here again with a quick note. It's the second last night in Costa Rica, we've counted our last bean, and we just celebrated by having dinner with the farmers who have welcomed us onto their farms. It was definately one of my favourite experiences of the trip. I sat in the middle of a table full of Spanish speaking farmers and had a fantastic time. I connected with them, shook their hand, and laughed. Each of them thanked me and welcomed me back like I had a home here. And I've come to think of it as a home; I walked down the street today and saw three people I knew (not from the team!). They are all so welcoming and proud of their country and coffee, it's inspiring. Now that I've spent time , shared food and stories with them, I will see their faces in every cup I serve. I can't wait to get home and tell their stories!

A partnership with coffee

Hi everyone Jason here again - i am sitting here in the hotel after just spending a couple of hours with the some of the coffee farmers we have worked with. It was a great opportunity for us all to go around and thank all of the coffee farmers for the welcoming manner in which they accepted 8 volunteers trampling around their coffee farms with our hiking boots sliding down the muddy hills hoping a coffee tree would stop our fall into the river below! Yes there were a few falls and trips and i have countless bruises on my legs to prove it.

Bruises aside they all tell a story like each coffee cherry we have seen. To me seeing a coffee cherry is the start of a partnership we all have the honor in sharing with each other. This partnership touches many hands of people we would normally call strangers because we have not met them but when you take a moment to stop and think about it they want the same thing we do - a great cup of coffee we can enjoy in the company of people we choose to share our lives with.

I would encourage you all every time you take a sip of coffee to take the time to think of the effort and passion that have gone into that cup - the beginning of a partnership.

It's not just coffee!

Good morning campers! This is Bruce from Colorado a 14 year barista on our second to last night in Costa Rica and after two weeks of working hard on the farm we have grown quite attached to the farmers and people of Costa Rica. They have welcomed us in to their homes and families and we all feel a bit sad about leaving here on Sunday.

The sense of community we have found here is something that you don't see back home very much. Their devotion to each other and coffee, which is their lives, is incredible and their connection to the earth. Hopefully we can ignite some of their passion for coffee and their country back home.

I would encourage anyone reading this to check out the Earthwatch website and check out any possibilities to get involved in other volunteer projects because it is an adventure, this experience will change you. Hopefully we all get a chance to visit Costa Rica again soon.

Thanks and good night!

Where's the flag!

Hey y'all! Lindsay here from Vancouver Canada. While I was counting shade trees in todays farm, I was thinking about how we've all adjusted to our Costa Rican lifestyle now that we've been here a while. Some things are now second nature, like checking the bed for bugs before getting in, putting a raincoat on at 1:55 in preperation for the rain at 2:oo, and traveling on roads that are twisty, rocky, and so steep you're sure that any minute you're going to fall off the edge of the world. Some of us are even picking up some Spanish and trying our best to use it. I'm excited to embrace as much of the culture as I can, but there are some things that are not so easy to get use to. Eating french fries and hot dogs for breakfast, and not putting toilet paper in the toilet are a little more then a small cultural adjustment. Looking down and seeing giant grubs and cockroaches by my feet still makes me jump. Not so high on the enjoyable scale. On the other hand, every time I step out of the truck after another nausea inducing car ride and look at the days farm, I am amazed by where I am and what I'm doing, and the view takes my breath away.

Pura Vida!

This coffee isn't going to get sustainable by itself people!!!

Hard work, patience, and attention to detail, combined with the tolerance to put up with monsoon like rains, sun burns and sweat, and a kaleidoscope of colorful spiders and creepy critters. This is what it takes to help the scientists here with Earthwatch collect enough data to create sustainable coffee farms and promote soil conservation. I am Roxanne from Ohio, and it is amazing to me how a team of people gathered from around the world can be not only willing to do these things but eager. We are all so motivated by the passion that emanates from the farmers for their farms, their Co-op and their trade. We have learned the extent that C.A.F.E Practices have on the farmers here and how much that they, and the community depend on it. It is one thing to learn about it in the class room, it is completely different to meet the people that are impacted by it. So many people play such a critical role in the process from mountain top to counter top, and they can either choose to impact it in a positive way or a destructive way. It seems to me that people make decisions based on what they know, so all of us are realizing what a huge responsibility has been placed upon us to make sure that the local farmer’s story is heard. I can’t think of a more exciting and important story to share and I think that coffee drinkers are ready and willing to hear it. So for now we are just soaking in as much as we can and wishing our time here wasn’t going so fast.

Baristas In The Mist

Hola, Brian from Boston doing our entry this evening. Im trying to wrap my head around all that has happened in the last two action packed days. From more field work on a farm with a 70% slope to touring a cooperative in the Dota region, to hiking in the cloud forest of Los Quetzales National Park its been amazing.

We started Saturday morning with a conversation with Don Walter about the challenges of his farm in the Tarrazu region, and worked his farm climbing up and down terrain steeper than some things Ive repelled down in the past. The clouds rolled in early in the morning making for some fantastic photos but tough work. We couldn't stop thinking about how difficult it would be for the coffee pickers to climb this farm with 100lbs of coffee tied to their back, since most of us could barely keep upright with just our clipboards and tape measures.

We next had the opportunity to tour Coope Dota and get a feel for how the coffee goes from harvest to roast, and everything in between. Ending with a wonderful experience tasting some of their excellent coffee. I never would have imagined going from the farm to the processing to the roasting to the drinking all in one day......

To much to recap all tonight suffice it to say Costa Rica is full of surprises, and I cant wait for my experiences tomorrow!

Lessons Learned on Day One

Hi, this is Matt writing to you about our first day in the coffee field conducting our assigned research. For background, we are selecting coffee trees within predefined areas and counting the cherries, leaves, and taking various measurements as Christian is doing in the photo.

Our first day of work gave us some important lessons. First was sunscreen. Despite multiple warnings, there were quite a few pink arms and necks in the group. Second, fill that water bottle all the way to the TOP! We drank a lot of water, more than we expected. It was very hot and didn't rain as much as we expected. Third, eat all of your breakfast! Even when it's grilled cheese, runny eggs, and greasy french fries because you will need the energy. We stood for 6-8 hours and pushed our way through the dense trees which made for some very tired people by lunch time.

Over all, it was a great first day. We accomplished everything we were assigned and ate a tasty lunch and dinner. We are all looking forward to the things we'll see next and hopefully learn from our lessons today.

Hola, bienvenidos a Costa Rica!

Hey this is Jason from Australia one of the partners who was lucky enough to get an opportunity to come to Costa Rica to take part in this Earthwatch experience. I am sitting here in the Tarrazu, Costa Rica thinking about my first couple of days in Costa Rica and what experiences i have had. I am completely shocked (in a good way) about the lots of things i have already learned. The biggest thing that has struck me is the amazing friendliness of the coffee farmers and their families. We all had dinner last night at a farmers family and they were extremley warm and welcoming to allow us all in their home.

We have also spent some time in the farmer co-operative listening to farmers and their stories. Sitting there listening to him speak really brought many things alive for me. It's real easy to forget when your talking about coffee or even having a coffee with friends the people who bring this coffee to you and this is their business. It was really good to hear direct from a farmer about the things they have learnt over the years and their willingness to continue learning through projects like this and how we are going to help them continue to deliver great quality coffee through sustainable practices. I often read about the great things Starbucks does for its farmers but to hear direct from a farmer how we help coffee farmers makes me feel proud to work for a company that allows its partners to take part in projects like this.

I am off now to get ready for our first day in the field. Take care xx