Travelers can enjoy these great Costa Rica promotions and give back while on vacation. When it comes to sustainable tourism offerings, few can compare to Costa Rica. The Costa Rica Tourist Board has implemented a program called Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) designed to promote the implementation of sustainable practices throughout the entire tourism sector, including hotels, tour operators, transportation providers, and best of all, the community. A large portion of the industry participates to some degree and some of the services they offer include recycling, solar heated water, reforestation initiatives and creating jobs for the people in the surrounding area, among others. The CST program gives a zero through five “leaf” rating to those operations that meet strict guidelines for sustainable practices?the higher the score, the most green, efficient and sustainable the operation is. The CST program has become one of the most widely respected sustainable certificate programs and it has been adopted by the United Nations and the World Tourism Organization as a model, and many countries around the world are employing similar standards. When visiting Costa Rica, travelers can select from the 153 tourist companies that have been certified since the creation of the program. Sustainability and conservation in the country also extends out into the community through its Blue Flag Ecology (BAE) program. Communities in Costa Rica are given the BAE certification through an evaluation of the quality of the ocean water, quality of drinking water, waste disposal and availability of sanitary facilities. This distinction is given to those communities who safeguard the environment and maintain necessary sanitary conditions of the water and the areas around it. Greenway Tours, as a responsible travel company in Costa Rica is in the process of their certification and ecological vacation packages can be arranged by our professional staff. For a great Costa Rica vacation, please contact us for assistance.