VIEW THIS SITE IN ENGLISH OR SPANISH
CONSTRUCTION
HOME SWEET SUSTAINABLE HOME
MINIMIZE YOUR IMPACT ON WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH OUR BEST PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
There are many things to be mindful of when purchasing property and building in Nosara. You are joining a community that strives to live in balance with nature. The first 200 m of coastline is protected by the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, a world-renowned nesting site for the olive ridley sea turtle. The surrounding 5 km of buffer zone, including Guiones and Nosara, is essential to protecting the native ecosystem and wildlife.
Building sustainably in Nosara means you should consider the environment as well as the local culture and economy when making decisions about the design and construction of your home or development property. Our sustainable construction best practices provides a roadmap for making environmentally-minded decisions and allows you to have a more positive impact on wildlife, the environment, and local community.
While some regulations exist to protect this special place, there is currently little enforcement or oversight due to limited funding and resources. This means it's ultimately up to you to self-regulate and be a responsible homeowner or developer.
DOWNLOAD OUR SUSTAINABLE NOSARA CONSTRUCTION GUIDES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH TO START YOUR JOURNEY TODAY!
CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT AREAS
From the ground up, design sustainable practices into your home construction or development project. Here are the six areas for building sustainably in Nosara.
PROPERTY
DESIGN
MATERIALS
BUILD
FURNISHINGS
MAINTENANCE
GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATIONS
LIVING WAGES
Be an ethical and responsible employer with fair wage or living wage employment practices. When an employer pays a living wage, employees are able to provide themselves and their families with better quality of life, thus having a greater assurance of economic stability.
1
If you are going to employ people, pay a living wage. The cost of living in Nosara is approximately 2.5 times that in San Jose, or other areas of the country, mostly due to the influx of wealthy foreigners.
2
Be aware of and comply with employment rights including paying the CAJA, aguinaldo, and paid time off.
3
Get INS insurance that covers your workers if they have an accident.
4
Support locally-sourced products made in Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Nicoya, or Nosara.
5
In restaurants, 10% is usually added as a service charge, but it doesn’t always go to staff. Another 10% is always appreciated.
6
Learn Spanish to better communicate with local workers, and respect their culture norms and etiquette.
Make a greater commitment with green building certification with LEED or EDGE certification. Bandera Azul Ecológica (Ecological Blue Flag) is a local certification program that contributes to the mitigation of climate change by applying best practices and economic, environmental, and sociocultural behaviors from home.
SUPPORT OUR LOCAL NON-PROFITS
Learn about and support local non-profits at the Amigos of Costa Rica website. Many local non-profits in the area do essential work due to the government’s limited funding and resources.
LEED
CERTIFICATION
EDGE
CERTIFICATION
BANDERA AZUL
CERTIFICATION
SUSTAINABLE NOSARA
YOUR GUIDE TO ALL THINGS SUSTAINABLE IN NOSARA