Realtors and Developers Going Green
At a time when the growth of tourism and the resultant development is potentially affecting the environment of coastal and beachside communities, there are some realtors and developers who are working together to ensure that they protect the foliage, the beaches, the wildlife—all of the natural ecology and beauty which draws the visitors in the first place.
Taking the lead in Guanacaste is CENTURY 21 Coastal Estates, based in Tamarindo, with coverage all over the province. According to Principal Broker-Owner Nicholas Viale, who was also the past-President of the Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors (CRGAR) and a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), when a new developer comes into the area, he and members of his team spend time pre-screening the proposed project. The next step is to educate these developers by informing them about the sensitivity of the habitat and the ocean. Viale stresses: “Not only do we insist that the project be environmentally friendly, but we show how taking our suggestions will become a plus for the community, as well as the local real estate market by offering more diversity and a better quality of life.”
Adds Shawn Maricle, broker at CENTURY 21 Coastal Estates, who is also a member of the NAR and CRGAR: “Our developers come for all over the world to invest in this country because of its beauty and we help them understand how to develop their property with the least amount of impact on the environment. This is essential for two reasons:
Costa Rica is a beautiful country and we want to protect that so tourists will continue to visit.”
Viale and Maricle both emphasized that it’s just as vital for realtors such as CENTURY 21 to educate developers about their responsibilities to
Costa Rica’s flora and fauna, sea, land, and air, as it is for their associates to implement this knowledge into their construction plans for the ongoing maintenance of the ecology and economy. So far, the partner projects have already had the preservation of the country’s natural wealth in mind, or heed the acquired message and put it into motion.
In a beachside community, with a high density of homes and condominiums, there are seven points of focus. They include:
Taking Care of the Beach
Since the beach is the focal point of all tourism, it is imperative that developers give both manpower and financial support, and organize fundraisers for local organizations that take care of that valuable area. Examples include Tamarindo’s Ecological Blue Flag Program—which is responsible for maintaining the prestigious ecological award that the beach recovered from the Costa Rican government in 2005, by monitoring the quality of the shore, sand, water, and continue to improve the overall safety with the Lifeguards, its access ways and the beach environment for the patrons themselves. It is also suggested that developers become members of the Tamarindo Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, an international organization that cares about the ocean. The group organizes fundraisers and monthly beach clean-ups, as well as other projects that work in conjunction with the Blue Flag Program.
Soil Preservation
CENTURY 21 Coastal Estates gives its developers information about on-site black Water treatment for their properties to protect from the polluting side affects of the current septic tanks which send used water into the ground. In addition, very shortly, the realty company will be providing a solution to financing for private homeowners, looking for Black Water Treatment solutions to install in their own houses.
Water
New developers are provided with alternative water source options, including rain water harvesting, low-volume flush toilets, gray water recovery, and other methods of conservation that will recycle water for potable and non-potable use. This deals head-on with the worries in the community about the future of water availability as tourism increases.
Recycling
According to Maricle, his company offers a proposal for the recycling of paper, plastic, glass and metal, as well as other solutions for all their partner projects.
Protection of Nature
Developers are urged to consider the greenery, trees, plants, flowers and animals that lived on the land before progress arrived by creating green corridors and zones for their survival upon design, and after construction. CENTURY 21 Coastal Estates connects developers to the right government officials, such as Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía (MINAE), people in the country’s offices who specialize in environmental protection.
Global Warming Warning
Another way to conserve natural elements is to use recycled construction materials—instead of hardwood, for example—and alternative energy equipment (such as air conditioners so noted) in the building process. This will have a lower impact on the atmosphere, and the global warming effect in progress.
Construction Certification
We recommend that a contractor obtain a ISO 14000 certification. This is a series of standards and guideline references that cover Environmental Management Systems, Environmental Auditing, Eco Labeling, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Aspects in Product Standards and Environmental Performance Evaluation. With this certification, we guarantee that the contractor will maintain an ecologically friendly profile during the building phase.
These seven areas of attention are just the beginning, notes Viale. “Developers can define from the start just how their project can meld with the local environment. They can decide to take our suggestions, or move in another naturally protective direction,” he concludes. “It is our role to get their attention, and bring solutions to the table in order to preserve the fragile balance of beauty that is natural Costa Rica.”
Nicholas Viale is the Principal Broker-Owner of Century 21 Coastal Estates, and Past-President of the Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors (2005-2006).
Contact information:
Call Toll Free 800-COASTAL (from Costa Rica) and 1-866-978-4492 (from the US) - Tel: (506)-653-0300
Email: Realtor506@aol.com - website: www.costarica1realestate.com
Shawn Maricle is a broker at CENTURY 21 Coastal Estates, and is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Costa Rica’s Global Association of Realtors (CRGAR).
Contact information:
Call Toll Free 800-COASTAL (from Costa Rica) and 1-866-978-4492 (from the US) - Tel: (506)-653-0300
Email: shawn@coastalestates.org
website: www.costarica1realestate.com
