Today’s task:
Take stock of and set intentions for your impact on the local community & economy
The first thing that popped up on my laptop today was a very timely article about the increased gentrification of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where I find myself this morning. Waking up to the view of the ocean as the sun rose was incredibly idyllic, to be sure, and in many ways I feel it is on par with what I’ve already started to witness in terms of the way that tourism drives the local economy here.
This is one of my biggest concerns about moving to Costa Rica, and doing so with deep intention. I spoke with a researcher at the University of Kansas before traveling here, and found that many of the Airbnbs you find here are actually owned by people from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. In other words, local assets are being leveraged for non-local revenue generation and driving up the cost of living.
The article talks about how the pandemic caused huge migration of people globally, including many wealthier people who were tired of the hustle and bustle of city life and wanted something else that would allow them to slow down and take advantage of remote work opportunities. Sound familiar? I seem to be part of that wave of people, although without the finances to invest in property, I’d say I fall in more with the ‘nomads’ than ‘gentrifiers’.
One of the things that I highly value and that I will take with me wherever I go is the intention of my work supporting local people to build wealth for themselves and their families. Whether that’s through education or employment or something else, empowering people to build opportunities for themselves, in a way that makes them proud and eager to share with others, is definitely what I’m going for.
I can already tell that Santa Teresa is an incredibly gentrified place. A man I met yesterday mentioned how the majority of visitors here are from Europe, and those he meets from the States are generally from the coast. Another person told me that Santa Teresa is so expensive that not even the locals come here often, in contrast to Jacó, which experiences a ton of local flow from San José on the weekends.
I feel like if I ended up becoming the travel writer I always told myself I would be early in my college years, I’d focus on highlighting ways that people can travel with intention and supporting local communities and economies in a respectful and non-gentrified way.
What does that mean, you might be asking?
Well, first of all, I think it has to do with where you shop, who you socialize with, where you decide to stay, and even how much luggage you decide to bring with you.
This brings us to today’s task, which is to take stock of and set intentions for your impact on the local community and economy. I’ve put together some journaling prompts that can help you get rolling on brainstorming for this. The idea here is to recognize that as a consumer you have a ton of power. As a business owner, your decisions can directly impact the people in your immediate environment. And as a farmer, you get to decide at what scale of impact you want to have.
Questions to reflect and write about:
Taking Stock
- How often do you eat out at local restaurants vs. chains?
- Do you know any of the owners of the places that you shop at regularly? What about the employees?
- Savings & Investments – Do you bank locally? If you have investments, how many of those are with local people/properties/other entities?
- Do you know a farmer close to where you live and do you buy anything from them when their products are available?
- If you are farming already, where are you sourcing your seeds from? Do you get your transplants from a locally owned company?
- Can you pay a living wage to your staff? Are there additional perks you can offer to make up for any discrepancies in what you can afford to pay your staff and what they really deserve?
Setting Intentions
- What kinds of employment opportunities would you like to create for others, if any?
- What’s the ideal kind of work environment you’d like to see yourself in and/or create for others?
- How do you want your own work or farm to positively impact the lives of others?
- If someone wrote an article about an award that you received from community members for the amazing things you’re doing through your farm, what would they be writing about?
- If you were featured as a keynote speaker to share with other farmers the successes you’ve had in supporting the local economy, what would be your main speaking points?
That’s all for today. Be well, dream big, don’t hold back, and trust that everything you can imagine for your operation and your life is possible and is in the works at this very moment!
Resources for more reflection today:
