Costa Rica

In 1992, when coffee prices plummeted and pesticides robbed Geraldo Calderon of his health, he had to change his farming methods. But it would be another 5 years before he learned that he was on the cutting edge of the organic farming movement.

Sometimes, small gestures can make huge differences in people's lives and livelihoods. That's the premise -- and the power -- of microlending. For proof, one need look no further than the stories of Marcia and Karen, two entrepreneurs in Costa Rica.

At EARTH University, students don't produce papers. They produce -- organically grown crops they harvest and sell -- along with other entrepreneurial agricultural products. Is this hands-on education in working the soil and changing the world a model for a better future.

The sweet taste and sunny hue of the banana contrast sharply with the high environmental and social costs its cultivation extracts in Latin America: pollution, deforestation, poor working conditions. Whole Foods Market is working to change that, in partnership with a non-profit international school in Costa Rica called EARTH University.

Chipkos hopes its latest pair of fashionable flip-flops could help save the Costa Rican rainforests. One purchase will protect 100,000 square feet of the eco-rich land. But it's had no takers so far. Did we mention the sandals cost $18,000?

Like some 47 million other Americans, Nancy Sowa (pictured) doesn't have health insurance. So when her doctors last year told her she needed a total hip replacement, the office manager for a non-profit did what a growing number of U.S. citizens are doing: She headed abroad. At Wockhardt Hospital in...

The streets of Caracas are crammed with three times as many cars as they can handle. And why not? Gas is cheaper in Venezuela than anywhere else on Earth. The consequence, of course, is nasty traffic, made only worse by potholes, police checkpoints and other impediments to smooth vehicular...

It sounds an awful lot like paradise, but what are its pitfalls? David Paul Appell, author of the affordable-travel guide book Pauline Frommer's Costa Rica, talks to WalletPop's Jason Cochran about the Central American dream destination, known for its rainforests and its wildlife. Appell tips us...

It took thirteen long years, but they finally made it. The employees of Flying Pie Pizzaria, in Boise, Idaho, collectively saved 10% of their tips for 13 years. Now, their employer, Howard Olivier, will be shutting down both of his pizza-making operations for a week, and will be joining his...