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Fight Fracking

do one thing logoDuring natural-gas drilling known as “fracking,” chemicals, water and sand are injected into the earth in order to create enough pressure to crack open rocks and release oil or natural gas. The nearly 600 chemicals used in fracking include known carcinogens such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, among others, which can leach into drinking water.

However, natural gas and oil companies, which still aren’t held accountable to the Safe Drinking Water Act, don’t have to disclose all of the chemicals that they use. These chemicals have been linked to neurological disorders, birth defects and cancer, among other significant problems, as a result of the practice.

This is serious, people.

To protect our water, you can join a coalition of concerned citizens trying to get fracking operations out of our communities. A great source for locating one near you is the non-profit organization Food and Water Watch.

Mar 17, 2014 | Categories: Sustainability | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Fight Fracking

Guiones Surf Photo of the Week

Great Misconception: Surfing is a Free Ride.  Except that you need to get to the waves (when the waves are there), you need to be fed, you need to have a place to sleep, you need to feed again.  A board, with no strings attached (pardon the pun).  Oh, and don’t forget the process of paddling out at beach breaks as a commoner- no jet skis or boats… while your muscles burn…and you take whitewater on the head, repeatedly.  All, at most, for seconds of Bliss.  But it’s worth it, isn’t It ?  Process, not Result, is a beautiful thing !

photo provided by Surfing Nosara

Mar 14, 2014 | Categories: Costa Rica, Creative Culture, Harmony Hotel, Nosara, Surfing | Comments Off on Guiones Surf Photo of the Week

Emily Kimelman, A Writer Abroad


Name: Emily Kimelman

Where do you live? No set address.

What is your main artistic practice? Fiction Writing.

What brought you to Costa Rica?
I came to Costa Rica to write the first draft of the 6th book in my Sydney Rye series. My series features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. Sydney Rye is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don’t mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

Each book takes place in a different location around the world. The first one was in New York where I conceived of the series and wrote UNLEASHED (A Sydney Rye Novel, #1). The follow up novella and third novel both take place in Mexico and the Caribbean  specifically St. Thomas where my father was brought up and where I got married. The fourth book, STRINGS OF GLASS, is set in India where I lived for a couple of months last winter. The fifth book, THE DEVIL’S BREATH, which is coming out in April, takes place in Miami and the Everglades.

I find that it helps if I live in my books location while I write the first draft. I like settling in somewhere for a couple of months and seeing what shows up. Costa Rica is the perfect setting for the adventure I’m working on.

What are you working on next?
Besides the new novel, I’m also turning my series into audiobooks. This March I’m hosting a contest to pick the Voice of Sydney Rye. You can vote on my website HERE. If you have never read Sydney Rye don’t worry. The first book is free. You can download it anywhere that ebooks are sold, see how Sydney sounds in your head, and then vote.

Where can we find your work?
My work is available wherever ebooks are sold. You can find links on my website. www.emilykimelman.com

Mar 12, 2014 | Categories: Costa Rica, Creative Culture, Travel | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Emily Kimelman, A Writer Abroad

SURFING IS…WITH GRAHAM SWINDELL

If you’ve ever been to Nosara, you’re probably aware of Nosara Shack. It’s a community hub.  It’s a photo studio.  And now, with its eponymous magazine, it’s a publishing house! We were lucky to get a few minutes of chat time with the Shack’s owner, former North Caroline native, Graham Swindell. The full interview will be posted on the blog in April, but in the meantime, we asked Swindell to finish the statement “Surfing is….”  Read his answer below and check back for the full interview!
Name: Graham Swindell
Age: 38
Where do you live: Nosara
Years surfing: 25
Surfing is..life consuming, but in a good way!

Graham with his family in Costa Rica

Mar 10, 2014 | Categories: Costa Rica, Creative Culture, Harmony Hotel, Nosara, Surfing | Comments Off on SURFING IS…WITH GRAHAM SWINDELL

Where Do You Find Harmony?

The Harmony is hosting a video contest and there’s still time for you to enter! In honor of our latest contest, we’re sharing an interview by Malone Matson with Stephen Milner, a photographer and surfer who won a week at our Surf Survival Camp in our first contest.


Click to open slideshow. Photos by Surf Survival winner Stephen Milner

HB: There’s no denying that the Harmony is a very special place, what made it special for you?
Milner: The most special part of the Harmony to me was how close it was to the surf, how you could hear the ocean roaring from the back porch of your room. Also the Harmony’s commitment to sustainability and its responsible approach to the environment had a powerful impact on my stay.

HB: In what ways did your stay inspire you creatively, if any?
Milner: I recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a photography degree. I found myself worn out, broke and seeing the same thing everyday. I was desperate to travel, and then I won this free trip to the surf survival camp in Costa Rica for a week. So yeah, EVERYTHING inspired me during my stay.

HB: Is there anything that you will always associate with your trip to the Harmony? A sight, smell, object?
Milner: I found a new love for avocados; I ate those every morning while I was staying at the Harmony.

HB: Any funny stories?
Milner: One morning I was paddling out and it was the day after the dangerous marine animals lecture, I was a little on edge about shark and crocodile attacks when out of nowhere a dark green object surfaced 2 feet away from my board. I immediately thought it was a crocodile and I yelped before realizing it was a giant sea turtle.

HB: Can you briefly describe your typical day at the Harmony during the Surf Survival Camp?
Milner: Wake up at 6:30am, get some fresh coffee and go check the surf, which was always firing. I would go out and surf for about two hours and then get breakfast and go right to Dr. Nathanson’s lecture. After the lecture I would usually go explore the coastline or the town and have some lunch and make it home in time for a late afternoon surf session.

HB: Were you particularly surprised about anything you learned during the camp?
Milner: That peeing on jellyfish stings doesn’t actually help.

HB: Of everything you learned, what information do you think will be most useful for you in the future?
Milner: That’s a hard question to answer, I learned a lot while I was at the camp. But, something that really stuck with me was preparing a proper first aid kit for the region you will be traveling to. Also researching and educating yourself on the area you’re going to be traveling to. Also something that stuck with me, “The surfboard fins are the sharpest teeth in the ocean.”

HB: Who would you recommend attend the next Surf Survival Camp?
Milner: Anyone who considers himself or herself a surfer. If you’re a beginner, it’s only going to boost your confidence and motivate you to surf. Also, as a photographer, I highly recommend to other surf photographers and videographers because whether they like it or not they will probably have to be the first to react if anything goes wrong on a surf trip.

HB: How did the camp boost your surfing confidence?
Milner: It boosted my waterman skills greatly in many ways. Having this new knowledge made me more comfortable with surfing in the water and out of the water.

HB: Every surf break and its surfers have their own personality, how would you characterize Guiones?
Milner: I think because there’s always some sort of surf-able waves, everyone in Guiones were always happy. People were friendly and laid back, even if there was a language barrier you could still get that great “Pura Vida” vibe.

Mar 10, 2014 | Categories: Creative Culture, Harmony Hotel | Comments Off on Where Do You Find Harmony?

Smell Better

do one thing logoWant to smell better? Avoid synthetic fragrances. They’re in our cleaners, air fresheners, beauty products and—of course—perfumes. And they’re pretty much all made from oil: According to the National Academy of Sciences, more than 95 percent of the chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum.

Plus, they’re toxic: A study by the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics analyzed 17 of the market’s most popular perfumes and found that they contain, on average, 14 hazardous chemicals that aren’t listed on their labels; these chemicals can cause allergic reactions, reproductive damage and hormone disruption.

Need more? Synthetic perfumes just might make you fat: A study published by Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center linked phthalates in fragrance with obesity.

A great way to avoid synthetic perfumes is to simply read your labels: If you see the word “fragrance” and it doesn’t tell you what natural source it is derived from, put the product back on the shelf.

Mar 10, 2014 | Categories: Sustainability | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Smell Better

Guiones Surf Photo of the Week

Longboard: Right tool for this job. Winter in Costa—the fecund warmth, the vibrant colors, the buzz of life, alive. Out of the wetsuit back home and into some playful peelers.  Down right liberating. Making effort look effortless.  What a beautiful thing.

Photo by Surfing Nosara

Mar 07, 2014 | Categories: Costa Rica, Creative Culture, Harmony Hotel, Nosara, Surfing | Comments Off on Guiones Surf Photo of the Week

The Bullhorn Acacia

The Bullhorn Acacia is probably the last tree you’d want to meet in a dark alley. Growing up to 15 meters tall, it wields long, sharp, bullhorn-shaped thorns that serve up a nasty scratch if you venture too close. And if you think this plant sounds mean, you should meet its friends.  The leaves of the Bullhorn Acacia lack the bitter alkaloids that normally act as a deterrent to predators, so the tree enlists an army of aggressive Acacia Ants to serve as its defense system.  When the leaves are damaged, a chemical alarm is released, and the offending hungry insect or curious mammal is greeted by a rush of biting, stinging, and altogether angry ants.  Even sneaky vines and nearby plants that threaten their host’s access to light and water are systematically destroyed by these vigilant little creatures.  In return, the Bullhorn Acacia shelters its defenders in its large hollow thorns, and provides them with food in the form of carbohydrate-rich nectar and protein lipids, visible as orange-yellow granules on the leaf tips. This fierce looking and rather inhospitable tree turns out to be in a beautifully evolved, long-term symbiotic relationship: a good reminder to never judge a plant by its thorns.

Photo: Doug Taron

Mar 06, 2014 | Categories: Costa Rica, Harmony Hotel, Nature | 1 Comment »