The very sight of a wind farm, turbines spinning freely and surely, is wonderful. It speaks to us, affirming that renewable energy works, offering proof that there is a better way ahead. For the people in Los Santos, Costa Rica, where the wind farm supported by this project produces 12.75 MW of electricity and reduces carbon emissions by 14,000 tonnes annually, that hopeful future has arrived.

Don Johel, a lifelong resident of Los Santos, who left school at the age of 10 to help support his extended family, tells us how, for 40 years, he worked as a day laborer in the fields or in the coal mines, doing all he could for his family but too often getting less than he needed: “I earned just a little. They took advantage of me.” He lived in a tin shack. Medical bills for his sister and mother were beyond his reach.

When the wind farm was built in Los Santos, good jobs were created, and the local economy flourished.  Don Johel’s skills and willingness were readily welcomed by the project, and, for the first time in his life, he was employed in a steady job that pays a fair wage, with decent housing and with health insurance that he had never been able to afford, and, perhaps most important, with dignity and respect. “I have the chance to be part of something important here,” he says.

Costa Rica is leading the way to the future with over 98% of its electricity produced by renewable sources, and this project—and Don Johel—contribute to that great achievement. With that momentum of success, the Costa Rican government has set a goal for the country to be entirely carbon neutral by 2021.

That’s sustainability. When next the sight of a wind farm inspires you as proof of a better and sustainable future, hear Don Johel and all the people in Los Santos, who, for your support and for your conviction, send a heartfelt Thank you!