Innovative Biodiesel Project to Move Costa Rican Surf School Towards Carbon Neutrality

Jan. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- Safari Surf School, Costa Rica’s premier surf school and camp for fourteen years, strives to be carbon neutral with the addition of the “Innovative Biodiesel Project” — the world’s first small-scale biodiesel production system that is closed-loop (zero waste), energy independent (off-grid), and carbon-negative. Safari Surf’s Sustainability Director, Carl Kish, has partnered with biodiesel expert Ryan King to implement the system at the surf school’s headquarters — the Hotel Casa Tucan — in the surf and yoga wellness community of Nosara, Costa Rica. Once the model is developed and tested, the designs will be available online for free, which will enhance the potential global reach of this low-cost, sustainable energy solution.

Ryan and Carl will travel to Costa Rica on February 12th for three weeks to build the system and train staff, as well as members of the community, on proper operation. “I’m thrilled to be working with Ryan on such a momentous project,” said Carl. “He has over a decade of experience and exhibits ample confidence and passion in his work.”  Carl created a campaign for the project on IndieGogo, a crowdfunding website, to finance the research, testing and construction of the biodiesel production system: http://www.indiegogo.com/nosara-biodiesel — which contains more information about the project and its distinct features. They raised 60% of their $5,000 fundraising goal in the first two weeks of the campaign, and they have two more weeks to acquire the rest of the funds. They envision this project as a catalyst for advancements in sustainable living and hope that it will inspire communities and biodiesel producers around the world to implement, experiment, and improve upon this model.

The project aligns with the community’s aspirations to distinguish Nosara as a sustainable model for development for other communities in Costa Rica. Both the Nosara Civic Association, a nonprofit organization that has been preserving the natural environment through planned and controlled growth for 36 years, along with Nosara Sostenible, a committee of like-minded business and property owners, fully support the initiative. This project’s positive implications will resonate for the future of Nosara, not only because of its potential to create job opportunities, but also because energy is at a premium in the community. Having a fuel source that is independent from imported resources and power could potentially be a lifesaver during times when access to Nosara is limited, such as during seasonal floods or natural disasters.

Ryan explains, “I am grateful to Carl, Safari Surf School and the Casa Tucan for expressing interest and support in local, carbon negative energy production. Typical ethanol and biodiesel production remain at around 3% of global transport fuels. Large, commercial-scale biofuel production has proven too costly, in both environmental and economic aspects, to compete with fossil fuels. By exploring scalable local solutions and sharing our results and methods, we may be able to develop models of biofuel production with benefits to local communities and ecosystems.”

This is all part of Safari Surf’s new sustainability campaign — Sustainable Swell. “We are fortunate to be working with such passionate individuals that care about our community and the greater good,” said Tim Marsh, CEO of Safari Surf. “Carl and Ryan have shown immense initiative in pursuing this project and have remained headstrong despite several setbacks that jeopardized the project’s viability and we completely trust them to get the job done.” Carl will also be preparing the Hotel Casa Tucan for Sustainable Surf Tourism Certification by the Center for Surf Research and Sustainable Tourism Certification by the Costa Rican Tourism Board in June of this year. The hotel was Benchmarked in May, 2012 by the Center for Surf Research and has since adopted a comprehensive Sustainability Management System. Safari Surf launched an entirely new website that contains a whole section detailing the company’s sustainability initiatives: http://safarisurfschool.com/sustainability/sustainability...

About Safari Surf School
Founded by brothers Tim and Tyler Marsh in 1999, Safari Surf School is an official Billabong Camp and is Costa Rica’s premier surf school. In addition to surf lessons from ISA certified instructors, Safari offers complete vacation packages including a range of accommodations, dining, transportation and numerous other activities such as fishing, zip-lining, nature tours, yoga, massage, horseback riding and more. The school is located at Playa Guiones near Nosara on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. Business and administrative operations are based in San Diego, CA, U.S.A. The company owns and operates a variety of travel businesses including recreation, hospitality, food and beverage, and retail. Specific businesses include Safari Surf School, Safari Surf Adventures, Safari Surf Vacations, Women’s Surf Adventures, and the Hotel Casa Tucan. For more information about Safari Surf School, go to http://safarisurfschool.com/