Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)
Through photosynthesis, the green parts of the plants use energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, water and minerals into food, releasing oxygen as a by-product. This process has taken place daily for millions of years, transforming the planet’s atmosphere -originally richer in carbon dioxide- into its current composition, with higher levels of oxygen. During the XX century industrialization, massive transportation based on fossil fuels, deforestation and expansion of agriculture have liberated millions of tones of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, increasing the risks of climate change and global warming.
Tropical forests have a great capacity to capture CO2 and convert it to oxygen. Available lands within Green Earth Garden’s reserve provide us with the opportunity to use reforestation as a Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) mechanism, in order to capture and storage carbon dioxide and mitigate global warming.
Reforestation is a concrete action at the local level, with positive global repercutions, thus representing hope for the future. It contributes to mitigate current emissions of greenhouse gases, raises public awareness about climate change issues and provides an opportunity for the participation of local communities, corporations, organizations, and individuals. In this initiative, Green Earth Gardens works in close collaboration with strategic partners, including the San Carlos Development Corporation (CODEFORSA), EARTH University and the National Fund for Forestry Financing (FONAFIFO).
Biodiversity conservation
Green Earth Gardens a Private Natural Reserve is part of the Maquenque Biological Wildlife Corridor, which aims to connecting ecosystems isolated from each other because of deforestation and destruction of natural habitat. Properties like ours play an important ecological role through joining these otherwise isolated natural spaces, allowing the movement of flora a fauna.
Our reserve’s secondary forests provide habitat for numerous species, including several valuable Costa Rican species such as the great green macaw, the white face monkey, white tail deer and the agouti. It is also home to about 70% of the country’s stingless bee species, thus its potential for organic honey production. Through reforestation activities, Green Earth Gardens is contributing to recover northern Costa Rica’s rich tropical rain forests, which provide a home to thousands of species of plants, animals and microorganisms.
Organic honey production
Stingless bees are native to the Neotropics, which differ from their European counterpart because of their lack of a sting and their tamer behavior. They play an important ecological role in the tropical forest through pollination of many plants and trees, allowing the production of fruits and seeds, and the survival of many plant species
The Mesoamerican indigenous civilizations practiced stingless beekeeping -known today as Meliponiculture- as an important economic activity. They kept the bees in hollow log-hives, and harvested honey for gastronomic and medicinal uses. In fact, they considered these bees as a gift from the gods. Based on this ancient tradition, with the purpose of producing organic rainforest honey, Green Earth Gardens has created a native stingless bee garden -or meliponario- using sustainable management techniques. The mariola bee (Tetragonisca angustula) is recognized as one of the most attractive species because of the quality of its honey, its medicinal and antibiotic uses and it commercial potential.
Green Earth Gardens has partnered with Costa Rica’s Tropical Apiculture Center, from the Universidad Nacional (UNA), which carries out scientific research about stingless bees and their honey, with potential to become the “antibiotic of the future”.
