The Nosara Yoga & Wellness Center

Formerly known as the Costa Rica Yoga Spa, the Nosara Yoga & Wellness Center is founded with the belief that the good life begins with a balanced life. To achieve that ultimate inner balance, the Nosara Yoga & Wellness Center offers retreats, classes, spa treatments and wildlife explorations that enable guests to get in touch with their inner self. The location alone is enough to relax the body and spirit, the Center is set on a private ranch atop a peaceful mountain that overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean on Costa Rica’s gold coast.

Visitors to the Nosara Yoga & Wellness Center can enjoy both the Yoga Pavilion and the Wellness Center during their stay. At the Yoga Pavilion, crafted from native Costa Rica teak and pachote wood, practitioners can hone their flexibility and relax while watching the sun rise and set over the Pacific Ocean. The Wellness Center offers private spa rooms for exclusive massages and signature body treatments that will rejuvenate even the weariest traveler. After your mind, body and spirit are in sync and light as a feather, guests can continue their enjoyment of the Center at the private beach, the infinity pool, the Center’s gourmet organic eatery, or by exploring the nearby Ostional National Park.

Demonstrators in Sydney at the Opera House

Last month on October 24^th, over 5,000 events around the world occurred, creating the most widespread day of environmental action in history.  One hundred and eighty one countries were involved and nearly 25,000 photos were submitted of people calling on the global leaders to make a commitment to the environment.

Why ‘350’?

350 is the name of the worldwide campaign dedicated to finding solutions to the climate crisis. The number 350 stands for the level of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere, which is the safe upper limit that scientists have identified for the environment. Global leaders are meeting at the end of this year in Copenhagen to create a new worldwide treaty on cutting CO2 emissions, but the current treaty in these discussions does not meet the 350 limit.

The goal for the 350 movement is to unite the people of the world in a grassroots movement to let global leaders know that we care about environmental change. 350 aims to hold these leaders accountable to the latest discoveries in climate science so we ensure that our world stays safe and healthy for future generations.

How To Get Involved

There is still time to make an impact with the 350 foundation before the global leaders meet to sign the new treaty. The 350.org website is set up with a plethora of great grassroots tools to help spread the word about their mission. You can use the ‘Tell-A-Friend Tool’, get ideas for how to build buzz in your own community, promote the cause through your social networks, put 350 multimedia on your own website or blog, or shop for 350 branded products in their online store. Making a difference in the world is up to each and every one of us, and every person’s efforts count with 350.

Solio Magnesium Edition Solar Powered Battery

Solio Magnesium Edition Solar Powered Battery

This handy travel gadget not only saves energy, it’s also super convenient when traveling to foreign countries. Kiss your bulky converters and charger wires goodbye and simply place your cell phone, digital camera, iPod and other portable devices on the Solio’s fan-shaped solar panels for a quick recharge that’s good for the environment. The solar panel charger can be purchased from Better Energy Systems (www.solio.com ) for $170.

EMotion Solar Powered Media Player

EMotion Solar Powered Media Player

Trade in your Sony PSP, Kindle and iPod for this all-in-one solar powered media player. Light, pocket-sized and energy efficient, the eMotion enables users to enjoy music, movies, photos, video games and ebook reading. What’s more, it can even act as a portable charger for your digital camera, cell phone, PDA, DVD player, and other lithum battery operated devices – is there anything this fabulous travel gadget can’t do? The eMotion can be purchased from Media Street (www.mediastreet.com) for $169.

Fashionation Eco-Friendly Speakers

Eco-friendly Speakers by Fashionation

Made entirely from recycled materials, the lightweight mini speakers are ultra portable. Even better, they require no batteries and fold completely flat and take up virtually no room in your suitcase. Just hook them up to your iPod or other MP3 player and you have the perfect soundtrack to your travels. Perfect for relaxing on the beach or getting the party started in your suite before venturing out into town. At only $14.95 at Fashionation (www.fashionationstyle.com) these speakers are a travel gadget that eco-savvy travelers can’t afford not to have.

Horseback Riding in Costa Rica – Beach Tours and Jungle

Beate and Hans of Boca Nosara Tours

Riding a horse through crystal clear surf is a dream for many people – and understandably so. The allure of sitting astride a powerful animal while experiencing the best that nature has to offer is the perfect way to let all the stress of everyday life roll off you while you embrace the moment. Nosara’s gorgeous beaches along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast are dotted with a number of different horseback riding tour companies who let you experience just that.

For guided beach horseback riding tours, try Boca Nosara. Each guided tour is provided by company owners Beate and Hans, who are fluent in English, Spanish and German. Typical beach rides last from two and a half to three and a half hours, though private tours and custom tours are also available. Importantly, all horses are healthy, well taken care of and very easy to ride; making their beach rides a great experience for novice and riding pro alike.

Horse Riding Tours Are Also Available Through Costa Rica Travel

Another company offering well-organized horseback riding tours through Nosara’s jungles and beaches is Costa Rica Travel. Costa Rica Travel offers horseback riding tours throughout Costa Rica with a few different tour options within Nosara. Adventurers can choose from a jungle tour, sunset and beach tour or a Mala Noche waterfall tour, each guided by a professional naturalist for three to four hours.

Source: The Legal Guide to Costa Rica, by Roger Peterson

The beautiful vistas, lush jungles and soothing beaches draw many International tourists to Costa Rica each year. For those who visit and want to keep going back, buying a vacation home in Costa Rica is a great way to ensure enjoyment of the country’s riches for decades to come. Costa Rica is the ideal place to purchase a vacation home thanks to the country’s welcoming attitude toward foreigners, the laid-back, relaxing vibe and the endless adventure tours and opportunities one can experience. Additionally, the temperatures are warm and pleasant year round and Costa Rica is fairly convenient to get to, making it ideal for a spur of the moment, relaxing vacation at any time during the year.

Owning a Costa Rica Home as a Foreigner

Costa Rica real estate laws are similar to those in the United States, which makes them easy to navigate for foreign home buyers. Additionally, foreign home owners have the same rights to ownership that Costa Rica natives have, something that is not always true in other foreign countries. The most important thing to ensure when buying a vacation home in Costa Rica is that the title to the property is clear. The best way to do this is to look up the title registration number of the property known as the ‘folio real’, a records database that can be searched in Costa Rica’s National Registry.

The National Registry report (informe registrar) for the property provides detailed information including name of the title holder, boundary lines, tax appraisal, liens, mortgages, recorded easements and other items that would affect the property’s title. Once you have this detailed information on a property, you can move forward with the transfer of title and the sale of the property. You can read more about this process in our past article by clicking here.

If you do not speak Spanish already, the key to navigating Costa Rica home buying is an experienced attorney who knows the laws, regulations and the proper way to purchase a home as a foreigner. An easy way to buy the perfect Costa Rica vacation home is to work with an American-based company who sells homes in Costa Rica, such as Kalia. These reputable home builders already know all the laws and regulations, will make the process of buying a vacation home easy and safe for foreigners, and have your best interest at heart.

Super Green Superyacht

UK-based Callendar Designs has just unveiled their latest creation – a solar, wind and marine powered superyacht with an unforgettably original design. A sleek rigid wing spans the length of the luxury yacht and three shark fin solar panel sails capture enough energy to power the 58-meter yacht at a speed of 8 knots using no additional energy source. The 23-year old designer’s goal in his creation was to show that, “Eco-luxury should no longer be viewed as an oxymoron. Soliloquy [the name of the superyacht]…is a true metaphor to show that this ideal is viable.” Well said.

Chanel branded segway, complete with Chanel 2.55 handbag underneath the handlebars

Read the full article at Marine Business News.

A Chanel branded Segway?

Luxury goods makers are partnering with environmentally-conscious initiatives to give their products a green edge. According to Pam Danziger, consumer trend expert at Unity Marketing, “Luxury consumers like to feel good when doing bad, and doing bad today means spending money.” Apparently luxury brands are banking on the fact that aligning themselves with feel-good causes will help boost sales of their products. Whether you agree or disagree with their tactics (which range from Chanel-branded Segways – complete with Chanel 2.55 handbag – to LVMH sponsored contests for stylish cycling wear designs), you have to admit that at least they are doing something good for the environment.

Read full article at Barrons.