Playa Blanca is situated on the Nicoya Peninsula in one of the most remote areas of Costa Rica. Playa Blanca offers an intimate and diverse nature experience. Set in the heart of a tropical dry-forest, Playa Blanca features a unique marine envirnment that supports diverse flora and fauna.
The students of the local school, Escuela Playa Blanca, take pride in protecting and conserving their natural environment. The Eco Preservation Society created a fun and unique experience to support the efforts of the local children. EPS hosted the children of Escuela Playa Blanca at our conservation station on Playa Blanca for a fun day of beach clean-up and afternoon of activities.
Long Term Goals: Playa Blanca located on the shores of the Gulf of Nicoya and the area has long been dependant on fishing to support the local economy. Becasue of unsustainable fishing practices, the fishery in the area is been serverly depleated. It is the goal of the Eco Preservation Society to promote and support greater diversity in the local economy and to promote a more sustainably managed fishery within the local community.
What is Earth Day: Initially implemented on April 22, 1970 in the United States, Earth Day has since spread across the globe. Its intentions of aggregating like-minded individuals who have compassion for environmental sustainability and disdain for its destruction have succeeded in propagating its mission, and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this April 22, 2010. The ideology of designating one day each year to worldly awareness of environmentalism has its objectives set on creating a domino effect. The range of Earth Day’s observance from 1970 – 2010 has grown on an exponential level. Its continuance relies on the success of projects and campaigns that are built around Earth Day. This puts a tangible outcome on its significance. Each year as more organizations and environmental groups implement strategies to bring awareness to eco-sustainability there is a growth effect that goes beyond April 22. With this expansion of the “green” movement there is hope that there will not only be one day set aside for environmental observance but that it will be ingrained in the global culture and carried through on a daily basis.
In Costa Rica, Earth Day is emphasized significantly as a day of observance. With a myriad of climates and a plethora of wildlife and flora, Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, if not the most biodiverse. This puts pressures on the government and daily culture for this country to sustain its natural state and even reverse and improve upon some of the industrial side-effects of its booming tourism industry. With Costa Rica being the birth place of eco-tourism, being involved in environmental awareness is not only beneficial for its habitats but it also benefits Costa Rica’s thriving economy.
Who is EPS: The Eco Preservation Society (EPS) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to uniting and empowering environmentally inspired individuals from across the globe and engaging them in transformational activities that impact the planet in a beneficial way.
Standing on a three tiered ideology of conservation, reforestation and education the Eco Preservation Society feels comfortable calling Costa Rica its home. Though EPS has a global reach and is entwined in environmental projects throughout the world, Costa Rica’s embracement of environmentalism is the perfect atmosphere to carry out its mission. Programs, volunteer efforts, research studies, internships and career opportunities that are geared towards conserving Costa Rica’s wildlife, reforesting destructed areas and providing environmental education to both local and foreign interest allow EPS’s success as an eco organization.
What separates the Eco Preservation Society as an environmental organization from others is its social media platform. Utilizing its network of 500,000+ that spans across the globe, the Eco Preservation Society has turned the process of aggregating environmental individuals into a science and transformed that science into art. With quality contacts in all countries that host EPS projects and a profound audience that is able to be recruited to help in a myriad of ways, the Eco Preservation Society’s social media platform stands as a cutting-edge, environmental revolution.
What are EPS is doing for Earth Day: 2010 brings a new year, a new decade and new creativity to the Eco Preservation Society’s strategy of broadcasting environmental news and aiding in the process for ubiquitous awareness of the “green” movement. Implementing a global team that is under the EPS social media umbrella, the Eco Preservation Society is growing its network and simultaneously aggregating qualified individuals to help with media content. Recruiting biologists, writers, editors, program directors and environmentally passionate volunteers, the Eco Preservation Society is utilizing the global hype of Earth Day to assemble a worldly media team that will impregnate every corner of the map. Earth Day’s original intent was to create awareness. The Eco Preservation Society has no intention of deviating from that ideology. EPS believes that it is more beneficial to utilize the original philosophy of Earth Day than using its global presence for monetary gains or donations campaigns. The Eco Preservation Society stands firmly on its mission. Educating the mass on environmentalism is contingent upon conservation and reforestation coming to fruition. By providing quality media content for the mass it permits people to be educated on the problems and solutions that are impacting our environment. Solutions and tangible outcomes can only be derived from educating people on the problems that plague the world, and that is the meaning of the Eco Preservation Society. Educating the mass, aggregating interest, producing quality material, leading like-minded tribes and taking part in global projects that are beneficial for both the environment and mankind represent the moral fiber of the Eco Preservation Society.
It is always hard to write about yourself, especially when it is about telling the story of your life. The problem is always objectivity. I do not pretend to have all it takes to be completely immune from any influence in being a great auto-biographer. Therefore, I will still try to describe myself with the vision I have made of my inner self.
I am Leatizia Iman Moussaid, a passionate nature lover, activist, multidisciplinary artist and student. I believe that there will always be something left to learn no matter how much you know. I think nature is the source of all knowledge, it teaches us the natural coherent path of life. The eco-system is a great example. The Laws of the Universe and Nature are very powerful. Everything is so naturally flowing in harmony. The survival of individual species is a symbiotic dependence upon one another. Because in the circle of life where the loss of a species can causes chaos in the eco-system, one must be conscious of their actions and make attempts to sustain the environment for further propagation. It is the selfish reason of each one's subconscious mind, especially ''green'' people. It is the only noble time where selfishness can have positive effects on the people as a whole. Perhaps that’s what Thomas Hobbes meant when he claimed that “of the voluntary acts of every man, the object is some good to himself.” It is very important to understand our own feelings towards humanity and it is mandatory to test our will to achieve a goal before starting.
Therefore, there is a very understandable and rational reason that motivates my choice to get involved in a mission of saving global environments. My introduction is pertinent in describing my vision so I can make further indulgences on the desire to carry out my actions. Intellectual honesty towards the reader demands an introduction. I am very convinced that the reader will feel more comfortable when left with the choice to decide whether or not he would like to continue reading.
You might be wondering why you are reading this. You are doing so because you feel the need for change and for real efficient action to save the environment. You are here because you heard the scream of Gaia. I heard it when I was very young. I used to live in Casablanca, Morocco back then. I was completely in love with the sea. We grew up at the beach, out of the city’s noise and pollution. The fact that I lived there created a disposition to become who I am now. We lived there because of the sound of the pelicans with which we had a great friendship. Every day, I would take the dogs running in the beach and swim before going to school. One day, real-estate investors came and bought the lands where I used to reside and destroyed the forest, the trees and the homes of my friends. They harmed the innocent and the symbol of freedom (the bird). That is where my story with nature begins. I was fourteen years old then and recently turned twenty-two. This passion has been in my blood for some time now and it is my desire to act accordingly.
I have seen harassments against nature everywhere. Casablanca 2002. Paris 1998. Lisboa 2001. Portimao 2001. Cadiz 2000, Havana 2004, Toronto 2006, etc. The list continues…
I have visited three continents, in all three I have witnessed acts of cruelty against the environment. As soon as I obtained my baccalaureate in experimental sciences in 2006, I started studying economics for one year in Morocco, as I was managing a Patisserie Chocolatrie (pastry shop).
It was a lifetime of experience that exposed me to the real world at a very young age. I decided to move to North America because I used to believe that the third world and the countries that do not belong to the western civilization have no voice among the international agents of knowledge who are given the power to change the social conditions of the people and even their way of thinking. At the time, I thought that I had to be part of the American Dream in order to be heard. The success achieved in North America is indeed incredible, which probably had me astonished and greatly ambitious.
Considering the social aspects that distinguish Canada from the United States, I have decided to apply to Canada. I have been accepted at York University in Toronto and at the University of Quebec in Montreal. I landed in Toronto and I enjoyed my stay. However, I needed to see what Montreal looked like. It was in August 2006, Montreal was greener than ever and so full of life and joy. It was also a very clean city. Once I stepped in, I knew I had found my place. At least, for the moment…
After one year of studying human sciences in Montreal, I completed a bachelors in Political Science with a major in International Politics at UQAM.
I met the staff of Eco Preservation Society when I was in Costa Rica in March 2010 on spring break. My sister and I were celebrating her birthday in the warmth of Costa Rica and out of the cold of Canada.
We met in a bus going from San Jose to Puntarenas. They were going for a staff retreat. Giovanni, Oren and Kevin were very interesting when they expressed the three tiered mission of the Eco Preservation Society, which is conservation, reforestation and education. That was my chance to make my dream of making a real difference and act on all my inner ambitions and tenacity of sustaining global environments. We had discussed in length over the two hour bus ride about the alignment of my activism and the mission of the Eco Preservation Society.
After getting back to Montreal, I could not stop thinking about the whole nature of the project and how noble their cause is and upon complete fruition how rewarding it will be to be a part of it. I was also very interested by the aspect of the social media that distinguishes Eco Preservation Society from the great majority of ecological organizations. I started then considering a volunteering work experience with them and also an internship in Costa Rica. After considering my application, I was very happy to hear that I was accepted to do an internship in Costa Rica and that the project of volunteering that I had submitted to Eco Preservation Society was approved. I have begun to start a Canadian Branch of the Eco Preservation Society based out of Quebec. My dreams are becoming reality more and more as the days pass…
I look forward to my future and success with the Eco Preservation Society.
The Eco Preservation Society (EPS) gained its Non-Profit Organization and charity status in 2008 from the state of Washington and was granted its 501C3 status by the IRS in July of 2009. In November 2009 EPS received its foundation status in Costa Rica.
On paper the Eco Preservation Society is regarded as a young organization but its youth is analogous to anything young and aspiring. Filled with energy and ambition to grow, EPS is going through its growing pains in 2010.
With the addition of global reforestation projects from Costa Rica to South Africa, up to India and over to Thailand and a few more that are “in the pipeline,” internship and volunteer programs, alliances and sponsorships with hotels, governments, and small-businesses and a director of social media as an addition to the team, it is apparent that 2010 is nothing shy of exponential growth.
The functionality of EPS is unique in the fact that all of its team members come from various backgrounds. This gives us diversification, flexibility and uniqueness in regards to our talents and operations in the different sectors, which are conservation/biological research, social media, reforestation operations, logistics and eco-tourism. These variables are added together to formulate an equation that produces an outcome of an environmental organization that has global presence under qualified management.
That being said, with 2010 already racing by as we are spread thin with all of our endeavors, we thought it was best to have the Eco Preservation Society’s first staff retreat. This would allow all of EPS’s members to be together physically for once instead of virtually, which is usually the case. Six members in total, of which four live in close proximity to one another in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, another living in Manuel Antonio and the other living in the Osa Peninsula left us with the question of “Where do we host it?”
It did not take very long to decide that the best decision would be to host our staff retreat at Playa Blanca, which is a secluded beachfront property that the Eco Preservation Society has marketed for those interested in what we call a “Costa Rica Unplugged” experience. Set back in a cove in the gulf of the Nicoya Peninsula, the Playa Blanca property is home to a tropical dry rainforest climate, white sand beaches, picturesque palm trees, roaming horses, a view of scattered islands that lay in the calm ocean waters, and monkeys. Tons of monkeys. Not just monkeys, Howler monkeys that do just as their name describes…howl!
We decided to have our staff retreat on March 3rd – 6th. A Wednesday to a Saturday schedule gave us the notion that we had to do two things that week. One, get everything in the office done on Monday and Tuesday, and two, look forward to a week of progress, heavy meetings and a celebration of our growth pace in 2010 with our team in a natural paradise setting.
That was the description of what, where, when and why. Here is my description of how the retreat came and went.
The Eco Interactive Vacation Experience is a blend of Travel, Education, Conservation and Reforestation. Through Eco Interactive you will engage in the natural world in unique and meaningful ways, providing fresh perspectives and a fulfilling experience not available through traditional vacation travel.
EPS is seeking Volunteers to assist in our Turtle Conservation Project at Costa Rica's Playa el Rey. Live, work and grow on one of Costa Rica's most secluded and lovely beaches.
Information
Who is EPS: The Eco Preservation Society (EPS) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to uniting and empowering environmentally inspired individuals from across the globe and engaging them in transformational activities that impact the planet in a beneficial way. 
What are EPS is doing for Earth Day: 2010 brings a new year, a new decade and new creativity to the Eco Preservation Society’s strategy of broadcasting environmental news and aiding in the process for ubiquitous awareness of the “green” movement. Implementing a global team that is under the EPS social media umbrella, the Eco Preservation Society is growing its network and simultaneously aggregating qualified individuals to help with media content. Recruiting biologists, writers, editors, program directors and environmentally passionate volunteers, the Eco Preservation Society is utilizing the global hype of Earth Day to assemble a worldly media team that will impregnate every corner of the map. Earth Day’s original intent was to create awareness. The Eco Preservation Society has no intention of deviating from that ideology. EPS believes that it is more beneficial to utilize the original philosophy of Earth Day than using its global presence for monetary gains or donations campaigns. The Eco Preservation Society stands firmly on its mission. Educating the mass on environmentalism is contingent upon conservation and reforestation coming to fruition. By providing quality media content for the mass it permits people to be educated on the problems and solutions that are impacting our environment. Solutions and tangible outcomes can only be derived from educating people on the problems that plague the world, and that is the meaning of the Eco Preservation Society. Educating the mass, aggregating interest, producing quality material, leading like-minded tribes and taking part in global projects that are beneficial for both the environment and mankind represent the moral fiber of the Eco Preservation Society. 
It is always hard to write about yourself, especially when it is about telling the story of your life. The problem is always objectivity. I do not pretend to have all it takes to be completely immune from any influence in being a great auto-biographer. Therefore, I will still try to describe myself with the vision I have made of my inner self. 
You might be wondering why you are reading this. You are doing so because you feel the need for change and for real efficient action to save the environment. You are here because you heard the scream of Gaia. I heard it when I was very young. I used to live in Casablanca, Morocco back then. I was completely in love with the sea. We grew up at the beach, out of the city’s noise and pollution. The fact that I lived there created a disposition to become who I am now. We lived there because of the sound of the pelicans with which we had a great friendship. Every day, I would take the dogs running in the beach and swim before going to school. One day, real-estate investors came and bought the lands where I used to reside and destroyed the forest, the trees and the homes of my friends. They harmed the innocent and the symbol of freedom (the bird). That is where my story with nature begins. I was fourteen years old then and recently turned twenty-two. This passion has been in my blood for some time now and it is my desire to act accordingly. 
I met the staff of Eco Preservation Society when I was in Costa Rica in March 2010 on spring break. My sister and I were celebrating her birthday in the warmth of Costa Rica and out of the cold of Canada. 
It did not take very long to decide that the best decision would be to host our staff retreat at Playa Blanca, which is a secluded beachfront property that the 
