Day 5

Costa Rica has developed an economy that has been built around sustainability and preserving and respecting their culture, ecosystem, and citizens. Because of this they have one of the strongest economies in Central America. They have established free zones within the country that allows large companies to move their operations to Costa Rica, in exchange for severely lessened taxes, or in some cases tax free. This practice is much like the bill that was passed under the Jindal administration, which allowed filmmakers to shoot film in Louisiana for less taxes. Which lead to hundreds of projects being moved to the state, which stimulated the economy. 

Years ago Costa Rica realized that their way of life would not be sustainable, in preserving the ecosystem, which makes up the biggest part of their tourism. They began to implement different parameters that would work to aid this endeavor. the initiative that we learned about today was the free zones that have been established. We visited vmWare and Thomson Rueter, large international companies that are taking advantage of this program. The government also offers even greater tax breaks if companies set up their headquarters outiside of the greater metropolitan ares of their cites. The is one example of how this program is impacting sustainability. Moving the businesses out of the center of town will alleviate traffic flow, lowering carbon emmisions. In the case of Thomson Rueter, they have hubs set up around the city where they will offer transportation to employees free of charge. This promotes the idea of car pooling and limiting the number of vehicles on the road. 

We didnt get a chance to learn much about the operations of vmWare, but we did get a look at their company values, that they believe in deeply. Their values rest heavily on being better people and making the world a better place for everyone. These ideals fit right in with Costa Rica's goal of sustainablility. They are hoping to make their country a better place by enacting change and improving the lives of the people who call it home. VmWare believes in having its customers particpate in giving back to the community, this is just another example of their culture improving sustainability.