Announcing Los EcoGuardianes
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” – Genesis 2:15
Many will agree that our Creator commands us to care for Creation. Unfortunately, we see examples of environmental degradation in many different contexts. How can we respond well as Christians to live into this calling of caring for God’s earth?
“Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?” – Ezekiel 34:18
For all the natural beauty of Costa Rica, the country has a broken relationship with the natural world. El Río Grande Tárcoles is the dirtiest river of all of Central America, and 60% of Costa Rica’s population lives in and depends on its watershed. ADE’s original environmental programs sought to unite local communities with government agencies and nonprofits to develop solutions to these water quality challenges.
After much prayer and consideration, we have refocused our mission towards empowering communities to enact local change. Our Tárcoles Watershed program has been rebranded as Los EcoGuardianes, a group in which citizens will learn or brush up on the basics of caring for Creation and our community. Many already have an environmental awareness, but the enormity of the climate crisis can be disheartening. Through Los EcoGuardianes, we empower community members to take action by starting small and scaling up to work at the regional and even national level.
We help our neighbors navigate through the government’s Bandera Azul Ecológica program, in which households and businesses monitor their energy usage. If they are able to reduce energy consumption, they are certified as a Bandera Azul household and can receive a discount on their energy bills.
Many will agree that our Creator commands us to care for Creation. Unfortunately, we see examples of environmental degradation in many different contexts. How can we respond well as Christians to live into this calling of caring for God’s earth?
“Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?” – Ezekiel 34:18
For all the natural beauty of Costa Rica, the country has a broken relationship with the natural world. El Río Grande Tárcoles is the dirtiest river of all of Central America, and 60% of Costa Rica’s population lives in and depends on its watershed. ADE’s original environmental programs sought to unite local communities with government agencies and nonprofits to develop solutions to these water quality challenges.
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| ADE staff member, Sebastian, measures water quality using aquatic insects. |
After much prayer and consideration, we have refocused our mission towards empowering communities to enact local change. Our Tárcoles Watershed program has been rebranded as Los EcoGuardianes, a group in which citizens will learn or brush up on the basics of caring for Creation and our community. Many already have an environmental awareness, but the enormity of the climate crisis can be disheartening. Through Los EcoGuardianes, we empower community members to take action by starting small and scaling up to work at the regional and even national level.
We help our neighbors navigate through the government’s Bandera Azul Ecológica program, in which households and businesses monitor their energy usage. If they are able to reduce energy consumption, they are certified as a Bandera Azul household and can receive a discount on their energy bills.
The members of Los EcoGuardianes will initiate partnerships with local businesses to reduce pollution or energy usage. No one knows a town better than its residents, so we expect that participants will identify both problems and solutions that ADE is not aware of.
To foster a greater understanding and love of science, Los EcoGuardianes will also learn to monitor water quality and wildlife through our citizen science program. We will teach monitoring techniques using common household materials; increasing the accessibility of scienc.
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” – Job 12:7-10
Ultimately, we will build a biocorridor linking Braulio Carrillo and Poás Volcano National Parks. By restoring forest cover along local rivers in the midst of pasture and farm land local wildlife habitat range will increase. The expected growth in wildlife traffic, such as monkeys, tapirs, or even jaguars, creates an opportunity for community members to start ecotourism businesses. The biocorridor will also help restore water quality of local rivers, as reforesting along the streams filters out pollution and prevents sediment from eroding into the river.
We are launching the first chapter of Los EcoGuardianes in San Rafael de Vara Blanca, where ADE is largely based. We plan to expand the program to many other communities throughout the region.
Learn more about Los EcoGuardianes at its website, www.ecoguardianes.org, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ecoguardianescr
What actions, large or small, are you taking to care for Creation?
Wonderful Katie! Looking forward to what God does with us as we love our neighbors through learning how to be better stewards of His Creation.
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