Events

OSA PENINSULA CELEBRATES EARTHDAY 2007The Osa Peninsula community celebrated Earth Day 2007 with the largest and most ambitious event produced to date. Over 20 bamboo and palm booths were built to shelter exhibitors and vendors, while the Salon Comunal was packed with proud parents and friends from all over the Peninsula when Nueva Hoja School presented their theatrical production, “Simon, the SopiLapa�, an original Osa based story of environmental awareness. The awards ceremony packed the house once again as prizes were awarded to the winners of the Earth Day art contest. 20 winners from schools throughout the region, with their families, were the guests of honor at the event geared for the whole family. Raffle prizes were donated by local hotels and both regional airlines, as well as local tour operators.The outdoor exhibition featured a food booth with hot dogs, and pinchas hot off the grill, arroz con pollo, and a cache of baked goods, all served on Almendra leaves and coconut bowls. Cold refreshments were offered in collectable WOO cups, which were numbered for a drawing with more donated prizes. T-shirts for the event featured the winning picture by Maureen Fajardo Adams, a fourth grader from Drake Bay, as well as a new edition of the WOO shirts, ASCONA t-shirts, and many other mementos from the day were for sale. Hardwood trees, provided by the Friends of the Osa members were given away for reforestation efforts. In the library, MINAE made its first public presentation of the management plan for the Golfo Dulce Reserve.The event was considered the most successful ever in terms of volunteerism, community support, attendance, and the vast amount of information and environmental awareness was awesome. A presentation on Global Warming, and another on the local Jaguar jungle-cam project expanded the awareness of both local and global environmental issues.If nothing else, hundreds of people had a fun day in celebration of the earth. And hundreds will wear an animal tattoo or plant a tree they received at the event. At least a hundred were reminded of something they already knew they should be doing to care for our earth. And maybe a hundred will share something they learned with 5 other people.Dozens learned something totally new, and dozens more learned how they can recycle in Puerto Jimenez. Some took home an idea they will put into action, and at least one had their life changed forever!