Good news for education and nature

We cultivate an education that thrives

in harmony with nature,

Innovations

Eco Blue Flag Program

in Guanacaste Schools

We are proud to support innovations within the Eco Blue Flag Program in schools. In collaboration with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education, we have launched a pilot project in Guanacaste introducing several enhancements: the use of technology to streamline reporting and measure impact, gamification through eco-challenges and eco-points, and incentives from the private sector.

At the same time, we strengthen training processes and foster broad collaboration across sectors and communities, so that schools not only coexist in harmony with nature but also become more engaging and meaningful learning environments.

LEARN MORE HERE

Incentives

From Private Businesses

to Eco Blue Flag Schools

As part of our efforts to recognize and encourage school participation in the Eco Blue Flag Program and our pilot innovations in Guanacaste, we held the first raffle of 2025. Five schools received prizes that support their educational initiatives and green projects. We believe that incentives are key to driving transformation, and the private sector plays a vital role in making this possible.

Congratulations to the winners: CTP Tronadora and Jardín de Niños Monseñor Luis Leopoldo de Cañas, Escuela Artola de Santa Cruz, Escuela La Roxana de Nicoya, and Escuela IDA Santa Elena de Liberia.

Thanks to 360 Soluciones Verdes and Ferretería Grupo Nosara for their support. We encourage more private companies to join and collaborate. For more information, contact us at info@guardianesdelanaturaleza.org or 8899-4222.

Community Days

Uniting Schools and Communities for Change

🌱 Days of Unity and Action for Nature and Education! At Santa Marta School and Serapio López School, two public schools participating in the Eco Blue Flag Program in Nosara, we experienced unforgettable “Community Days” with 165 volunteers and partners coming together to plant a wide variety of pollinator-friendly plants and native trees, clean and paint classrooms, create community art, revive school gardens, strengthen solid waste management, and run environmental workshops.

We aim to systematize this initiative so it becomes a model for empowering and strengthening Eco Blue Flag schools across the country with community support, while fostering bioregions that thrive in harmony with nature.

Thank you: PoliLac • NCA • Harmony Projects • Hotel Lagarta Lodge • Ferretería Grupo Nosara • Viveros Tropicales • Maquinaria Chavo • Maquinaria Linda Bristol • Nosara Green Restorative Landscaping • Municipalidad de Nicoya • Bomberos de Nosara • Astratun • Nosara Recicla • Fundación El Colono • Juntas de Educación • Directoras • Padres de familia

Participation in the Update

of the National Biodiversity Strategy

At Guardians of Nature, we contribute our expertise through thematic workshops to ensure that the update of Costa Rica’s National Biodiversity Strategy recognizes the essential role of education and schools in biodiversity and nature conservation. This process is led by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with support from UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

We are convinced that the future of conservation begins in childhood and in our classrooms. Schools are already showing us that when education reconnects with nature, learning, community, and life all flourish together.

Eco Webinars

More than 1400 Educators Participating

So far in 2025, 1,433 educators have participated in our webinars on solid waste management, implementing recycling programs, increasing biodiversity through pollinator-friendly gardens, and strengthening the Eco Blue Flag Program, helping to build skills, foster a strong environmental culture within school communities, and deliver a more hands-on, experiential curriculum.

These training sessions are delivered in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica

Collaboration for Action

Strenghtening Community Projects

We had the honor of coming together with community leaders from Nosara in a space for learning, dialogue, and connection during a hands-on workshop on community projects aimed at organizations and individuals driving local development in the district.

Thanks to Fundación Caricaco, the Municipality of Nicoya, Amigos de Nosara, and Asociación Masaya for organizing this collaborative day to strengthen the holistic development of the Nosara district.

Interview

Feminine Voices, Channel 13

Our founder, Jessica Sheffield Zamora, was featured on Voces Femeninas on Channel 13, a program that celebrates women who are transforming the world from Costa Rica.

Jessica shared her personal journey and the inspiration behind Guardians of Nature, as well as her vision to transform Costa Rica into a living laboratory for educational innovation in harmony with nature.

View full interview HERE

Guardians of Nature Ambassador

Media Spotlight

Our Guardian leader, Jade, Ambassador of Guardians of Nature, is proving that creativity and love for nature can change the world.

Her innovative project, charging a cellphone with plant energy, was featured in La Teja and inspires kids across Costa Rica while resonating globally. Jade also recently spoke at TEDx Pura Vida Niñez, showing that when education meets nature, amazing solutions flourish.

Congratulations, Jade, for inspiring a new generation of Guardians to dream, create, and build a sustainable future!

View full article HERE

Children and Nature

Connectedness Index

Be Part of a Global Movement! 🌍 At Guardians of Nature, we are proud to be part of a global movement working to reconnect children with nature. As partners of Ashoka, the world’s leading network of social entrepreneurs (of which our founder is a fellow), we invite you to join this transformative initiative.

Ashoka has launched the first and largest global survey to understand how young people (ages 10 to 19) experience their relationship with nature today.

We need more than 2,000 responses before October 15!
The survey is interactive, takes only 5–10 minutes, and is available in several languages.
It’s designed for students ages 10 to 19. Encourage your students or children to take part!

Why does it matter? Children’s connection to nature is essential for their health, resilience, and their ability to become future guardians of our planet. Yet urbanization and technology are causing more children to spend their lives indoors, widening the false divide between people and nature.

Take the survey HERE

Workshops

Empowering the new generations

Through hands-on workshops on waste management, water conservation, and energy efficiency, we empower students to develop sustainable habits and a lasting environmental awareness.

Currently, in-person sessions are offered exclusively in schools in the Nosara district, where Guardians of Nature is based. This hub also serves as a laboratory for scaling these resources nationwide—and beyond—through our educational platform and our collaboration with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education.

Children's Land (TiNi)

Connecting Children and Nature

TiNi (Tierra de Niñas, Niños y Jóvenes), developed by the Asociación para la Niñez y su Ambiente (ANIA), is an educational methodology that empowers children to create and care for small, nature-filled plots of land. It fosters empathy for life, strengthens biodiversity awareness, and deepens children’s connection to nature. Through hands-on, experiential learning, TiNi promotes sustainable well-being and environmental stewardship, earning recognition from UNESCO as a best practice in Education for Sustainable Development.

We are proud to partner with ANIA, helping to establish a TiNi land at Del Mar Academy and support its transformative impact on students.

Thank you

Jane Goodall

The world bids farewell to one of the most powerful and compassionate voices for nature — Dr. Jane Goodall. Her life and legacy have been an immeasurable source of inspiration for generations who continue to follow her call to care for life in all its forms.

In 2018, thanks to our friend and ally Yasmine Johnson, we had the honor of placing the book La Guardiana de la Naturaleza in her hands, written by our founder, Jessica Sheffield Zamora. That encounter symbolized a bridge between shared dreams: sowing love and respect for nature in children so they may become the leaders and guardians of tomorrow.

Jane’s example reminds us that hope never dies, that every action matters, and that education and our connection with nature are the foundation of a sustainable and regenerative future. We celebrate her life and say: thank you, Jane, for showing us that when we love something, we protect it.

Thanks to our Network of Allies

Making Change Possible