Self-initiated people who are passionate about community-based environmentalism, social justice, sustainability, art and education. We want mature volunteers who are eager to embrace the values of service and come with the intention to give of their skills and talents to create a better world. Our volunteers become an active and integral part of our community.  

This is the perfect opportunity for either individuals, couples, or a family unit (including furry four-legged members) to work together to make a difference, as we welcome diverse sets of talents and passions to integrate into the work we do at the Center. 

We want people who feel compelled to work towards actively practicing love and compassion for people and the planet

These”expeditions” take place in our farm and around our community in order for the children to be exposed to the natural and social environments, so they come to know, love and appreciate both. It also seeks to help children be aware of their own internal environment (their emotions, thoughts and feelings) and how this affects them and those around them. The purpose is to offer opportunities for children to understand themselves and the world, how it all works and how they can use this understanding to become happy, healthy, collaborative human beings. It is experience-based education. The guide works with the children from our intentional community. Basic Spanish and English language skills are required as the program has both local Spanish-speaking and foreign English-speaking children.

As the main point of contact for visitors, you will contribute to creating a memorable experience through a professional, knowledgeable, efficient and accurate manner that adds value to the visitors’ understanding of environmental issues in Costa Rica. You will be actively involved in branding and marketing the Center, communicating with existing Center supporters, expanding our outreach network, liaising with visitors both in-person and online, and managing the rental cabin business which provides the funds to run all the free programs of the SCCR.

We are looking for a volunteer with creative initiative and a passion for visual storytelling to create video media content to highlight the Center’s work. You will be responsible for developing content to feature Center initiatives and projects, managing a Center Youtube and Vimeo channel, coordinating communication of materials via social media, and providing a digital library of visual content. You may also have the opportunity to participate in podcast development and radiocommunications.

This volunteer opportunity is well-suited for accounting professionals eager to help us to be effective environmental stewards through organizational financial viability. You will help the Center establish a more effective and efficient accounting system, manage transaction recording processes, support financial statements preparation and internal controls, and send monthly documents to Center’s accountant. You can also contribute to the creation of a platform for the use of our local unit of exchange, the guacimo, and actively support the trade route’s administration.

As a dynamic individual, you will support the various projects run by the Center and use your individual talents to develop new projects. You will be involved in project management, provide administrative support, and develop your own capacity to serve the community in creative and effective ways. We are looking for a volunteer who is flexible and eager to help out.

We are looking for a volunteer to work on and develop new projects on our experimental sustainable organic farm, which supports our sustainable development and food security initiatives at the Center. You will practice your agricultural and animal husbandry skills through contributing to the production of locally-source organic products, maintenance of our completely organic farm, and development of unique projects which exhibit creative repeatable approaches to sustainable agriculture and Fukuoka’s natural farming methods. Spanish language proficiency is required.

We are looking for a volunteer to work on and develop new dishes for our Café and who is innovative and wants to experiment with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to create new dishes to be eaten on-site, but also to develop products that can be stored to last and packaged to be distributed in other regions and incorporated into our traderoute.

For all volunteer positions, we encourage you to delve into your talents and passions! Our volunteers create meaningful experiences through contributing to the Center’s vision in uniquely individual ways that integrate past experiences and collaborative learning.

You are invited into a supportive working environment in which you will experience community-based sustainability programs, a chance to practice and improve your Spanish, live in a lush, tropical riverside paradise, and immerse yourself in Costa Rican culture! You can hike through the forest by the Center, swim in the river to relax and connect with the natural world, participate in cultural activities, meet like-minded people, and experience the beauty of Costa Rica’s many destinations.

You will receive discounted room and board at the Sustainability Center for the duration of your stay. As the Center is a non-profit, self-funded organization, volunteers are expected to contribute a modest amount towards room and board. Ask us for more details.

However, because we do take a great deal of time training and orienting each volunteer, short-term volunteers have an increased room and board fee. Ask us for more details about the various projects that short-term volunteers are typically engaged in.

We have year-round openings, so please let us know when you are hoping to join us! We are happy to answer any questions – email us at ecocasona @gmail.com

Self-initiated people who are passionate about community-based environmentalism, social justice, sustainability, and education. We want mature interns who are eager to embrace the values of service and come with the intention to give of their skills and talents to create a better world through developing and realizing their own specific project. Our interns become an active and integral part of our community. We want people who feel compelled to work towards actively practicing love and compassion for all sentient beings and the planet. (*for purely volunteer opportunities, please see above)

We are happy to, and have experience, working with individuals to develop for-credit internship-project positions. We offer interns a unique experience to design, implement, and complete their own project-based experience at the Sustainability Center. This is the perfect opportunity for students of bachelor or post-bachelor level schools to get hands-on experience in problem-solving and solutions. Under collaborative guidance from the Sustainability Center, we will help you develop a project that meets your school’s criteria as well as the Center’s and/or community’s need. 

While you will be supported by the Sustainability Center, it will be up to you to complete the project work. We will only accept interns who demonstrate self-initiative and self-motivation, the ability to work creatively, and a drive to think “outside-the-box” when actualizing solutions to complex problems, and a commitment to serve for the greater good.

We accept internship-project proposals from all areas of study. We are willing to work with you to develop a unique project; however, we will not do the work for you, nor provide a pre-established project for you to work on (although we will advise you on what we feel is needed, and work with you to concretely develop a project idea based on your expertise and skills). We highly encourage you to read through our initiatives and current programs on our website to get a feel for the kind of work we do, and to find inspiration for an internship-project you envision as a benefit for the Center and community, as well as an opportunity for yourself to grow through this process. 

Some topics and ideas for projects we are interested in (but not limited to):

Strategies for organization growth, philanthropic outreach and increasing donor base, journalism and newspaper, radio communications

Fundraising campaigns, administrative organization, accounting systems, business model for rental cabins and farmstay

Conservation strategies, sustainable farming practices, water quality monitoring and connections to public health expanding medicinal and edible garden capacity, greywater treatment

Development of study abroad opportunities, community education via classes, local school education opportunities

Creating audiovisual material for the center, documentary projects, community photography projects, radio communications

For all internship positions, we encourage you to delve into your talents and passions! Our interns create meaningful experiences through contributing to the Center’s vision in uniquely individual ways that integrate past experiences and collaborative learning. 

You are invited into a supportive working environment in which you will develop and complete an internship-project of your design, experience community-based sustainability programs, practice and improve your Spanish, live in a lush, tropical riverside paradise, and immerse yourself in Costa Rican culture! You can hike through the forest by the Center, swim in the river to relax and connect with the natural world, participate in cultural activities, meet like-minded people, and experience the beauty of Costa Rica’s many destinations.

and whose internship-project covers the scope of their planned time frame. As the Center is a non-profit, self-funded organization, interns are expected to contribute towards room and board.

However, because we do take a great deal of time training and orienting each intern, short-term interns pay a higher fee for their room and board. Ask us for more details about the ways in which short-term internship projects may be incorporated into the work of the Center.

We have year-round openings, so please let us know when you are hoping to join us! We are happy to answer any questions – email us at ecocasona@gmail.com