Your Everyday Heroes traveled to Costa Rica to highlight the amazing work being done to protect the environment and endangered wildlife in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
We followed residents of Costa Rica who are the embodiment of the country’s national saying “Pura Vida,” their uniquely positive outlook, which translates to “pure life,” and is the cornerstone of Costa Rican’s ethos and national identity.
Meet the Heroes of Costa Rica
First up is Jeremy Levine, an American ex-pat who opened Wild Sun Rescue, a non-profit that is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release local wildlife that have been impacted by humans encroaching on their natural habitat.
While Wild Sun Rescue serves all the area’s animals, their primary focus is promoting the survival of the howler monkey species, whose populations have been negatively impacted by deforestation, urbanization, and habitat destruction.
Nearby in Cóbano, Costa Rica, biologist Vernon Arias and the non-profit organization ASOPROLAPA are working to bring back the scarlet macaw from extinction.
The skies of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula were once teeming with the majestic red birds, but the construction of habitat-disrupting real estate, as well as the actions of poachers, nearly drove the beloved species to extinction.
Vernon and his team have bred and released more than 200 scarlet macaws back into the wild, while educating the local community to help ensure the species’ survival.
Fellow American ex-pat Tracey Lemon has dedicated what was supposed to be her retirement to protecting sea turtles, which are a keystone species that are essential for the functioning of our ecosystem.
The endangered sea turtles have been nearly poached into extinction, but Tracey works with nonprofit Tambor Bay Turtles to protect the remaining sea turtles and grow the population by guarding of turtle nests from poachers and other wildlife, along with educating the local community about the species.
Last, but not least, get a sneak peek into Alejandro Morales‘ LECO Project, which keeps the beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, clean by recycling plastic that washes up on shore into sustainable products and construction material.
Your Everyday Heroes of Costa Rica Premiere Dates
We’ll be screening the full length documentary on July 27th at 2pm in NYC at the Chain NYC Film Fest.
Your Everyday Heroes of Costa Rica will premiere on August 5th on our website, then again on September 2nd on YouTube.
For now, you can learn more about about the heroes of Costa Rica by watching their episodes in Season Two of our docuseries.
Watch Jeremy Levine’s featured episode: “Rehabilitating Monkeys At Wild Sun Rescue.”
Watch Vernon Arias featured episode: “Bringing Back the Scarlet Macaw From Extinction.”
Watch Tracey Lemon’s featured episode: “Protecting Tambor Bay’s Turtles.”
Watch Alejandro Morales’ featured episode: “Turning Beach Trash Into Treasure.“
Your Everyday Heroes of Costa Rica awards:
Winner: Best Documentary @wildsoundfest
Winner: Best Cinematography @InfluxMagazine
