Lessons from the Jungle: The search for solutions to environmental problems

Carlos Alvarado Quesada was the 48th president of the Republic of Costa Rica. Under his leadership, Costa Rica contributed to global efforts to combat climate change and defended human rights, democracy and multilateralism. President Alvarado received the 2022 Planetary Leadership Award from the National Geographic Society for his outstanding commitment and action toward ocean protection and in September 2019 received the Champion of the Earth Award on behalf of his country, presented by the United Nations. In November 2019, he was named one of TIME's Next 100 Emerging Leaders around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. President Alvarado currently serves as a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Myriam Masihy is a Consumer investigative reporter for Telemundo 51 and NBC6 South Florida. She has dedicated most of her television career to addressing viewers’ concerns and working to solve problems in the community. Her work has helped viewers recover close to 3 million dollars and has been recognized with 21 Emmy awards.  She is also the producer of several documentaries including Healing Through Food and Lessons from the Jungle that stream across Telemundo and NBC platforms across the country.  Myriam is also the co-founder of Kakes 4 Kids, a non-profit organization that celebrates the birthdays of children in foster care.  She is a Permaculture Designer and Master Gardener Volunteer and is constantly searching for ways to live more sustainably. 

Ana Gaspar,  co-owner of Finca Tierra is a lawyer, environmental activist, social entrepreneur, organic farmer, and off-grid pioneer.  She is a Costa Rican native who has worked as a legal advisor for policymaking in Costa Rican Congress.  She is also a community organizer in local development projects focusing on excluded communities, autonomous development, and social organization. Ana is certified as a trainer on Non-Violent Communication by the United Nations' University of Peace. Also, certified as a permaculture designer. Ana is moved about sharing the knowledge of how to live a sustainable lifestyle and is passionate about Finca Tierra’s ability to contribute to the food security of the local community by supporting the nutritional and medicinal uses of plants in the region.

Ian Macaulay, co-owner of Finca Tierra, is a visual artist, social entrepreneur, eco-consultant, permaculture designer, off-grid pioneer, organic farmer and gardener. A native of Ohio, Ian holds a BFA Magna Cum Laude in visual art from Wright State University. He has experience in geographic information systems (GIS), urban planning, sustainable community design and natural structures.  Growing up, Ian spent the summers visiting Native American archeological sites in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Ian enjoys exposing students from around the world to Finca Tierra's permaculture design science approach, which integrates biological systems with human structure.  He's also a consultant for ecological design, tropical food, organic farms, and home gardens, and is active in the local community promoting practical and sustainable garden design solutions. 

Jhonny Abrahams, better known as Don Jhonny, owns a farm on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.  There, he receives students who take permaculture courses to show them how they can live in harmony with nature.  Don Jhonny's farm has an abundant food forest and is notable for its traditional cacao trees and cane juice. Berenice, Don Jhonny's wife, makes delicious chocolates with the fruit of their creole cacao trees and sugar cane.  The chocolates are so pure and delicious that they have won first prize at the Caribbean Chocolate Festival 3 times.

Jimmy Cruz is the mayor of Curridabat, a municipality or canton located on the outskirts of the capital of San Jose. After seeing the impact of urban development, in 2015 Curridabat adopted the name Ciudad Dulce or Sweet City and began to focus on the conservation of ecosystems, the regeneration of green spaces through a network of public parks and sustainable development. Today, thanks to these environmental policies, Curridabat captures more carbon dioxide than it emits.

Mario Alberto Piedra is the executive director of FUNDECOR, an organization that since 1991 has focused on the development and sustainable management of Costa Rica's natural heritage.  Fundecor achieves its mission by identifying the value that nature has in people's lives.

Victor Martinez is the director of operations of Reforest the Tropics in Costa Rica.  Reforest the Tropics' mission is to fight climate change, increase biodiversity and improve the lives of local populations through sustainable reforestation projects.  The non-profit organization looks for people in the United States who want to voluntarily offset their carbon emissions and matches them with farms in Costa Rica that want to establish reforestation projects.