GREEN program shows student clean energy role of Costa Rica

Already planning summer break? Bailey McFarland put hers to work, learning about sustainability and renewable energy practices in Costa Rica.

McFarland, a junior, heard about the Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) program in Costa Rica through another student in her summer school class. Within weeks, she applied and was on her way. 

“I’d never been out of the country before,” McFarland said. “I just wanted to take a chance and have an experience to grow.”

GREEN’s mission is “to provide a cutting-edge educational adventure experience to motivated students excited to explore the world of renewable energy and sustainability,” according to the website.

McFarland said she learned a lot about renewable energy’s potential to impact sustainable living thanks to GREEN’s innovative, hands-on approach to learning.
“For instance, we took a trip to a waterfall and went on nature-built rock water slides,” she said. “We went to a hot springs hotel and learned about geothermal plants. We went on a horseback ride up to the wind farm, and they let us stand under the windmills.”

The fun wasn’t limited to educational activities.

“I went ziplining, I went surfing,” McFarland said. “We had a free day at the beach. There was a sunset dinner.”

Joelle Zerillo, a marketing representative at GREEN, described Costa Rica as “the epicenter of the universe for renewable energy.”

“Hydroelectric, geothermal, wind farm, biomass, solar — they have everything,” said McFarland of Costa Rica’s natural resources.

“I didn’t know that much about renewable energy before I went,” she said. “But I wanted to see what it was all about instead of just hearing people talk about it.”

McFarland said she’s interested in ways to apply what she learned in Costa Rica to her life in Bloomington, and she’s even considering the environmental management program at IU.

“I made unbelievable friends while having the time of my life for 12 days non-stop, and I will never be able to find words that encompass the full scope of how much I’ve grown from my time spent in Costa Rica,” she said. “Pura vida!”