Jair Perez
Jair is a Costa Rican surfer and environmental activist with a penchant for coffee! He is a pillar in his community and now also in ours.
My parents met in Playa Hermosa, where I was born. My three siblings and I grew up on both Playa Hermosa and the nearby Playa Jaco. We used to hang out at ‘Backyard’ on Playa Hermosa, where my oldest sister worked. The owner, Timothy, asked my sister if he could take me out surfing. Initially, my sister was afraid of me surfing in Hermosa- it’s known as a surfing destination with dangerous, high currents. Eventually, she let me go one day. Since that first time, I would be on the beach every morning watching the surfers. A few years later, my older brother asked me if I wanted to surf, I agreed and haven’t looked back. While the seed was planted when I was 5, I actually began surfing when I was 9 years old. Since, I have been completely hooked on surfing. Both Playa Hermosa and Playa Jaco are still my training surf spots. Now, at 33, I can confidently say that surfing was brought into my life for many reasons, and it has taught me everything I know. It has been an integral part of my entire life, without a doubt.
A 100 % difference from when I first started until now. When I was a kid, I would spend all day in the rivers and ocean without any concerns about things like ear infections and rashes caused from the waters. Nowadays, especially when it rains hard here in Costa Rica, I look for places to surf far away from the rivers. It’s sad to see water pollution here increasing. There are a lot of plastics and wastewater getting dumped into the rivers and then carried to the ocean. I really miss the clean waters, and it’s crucial for us to protect the wildlife and preserve the cleanliness of our environment.
My goal in using this platform is to raise awareness among people about the actions we can take to preserve our rivers, particularly here in Costa Rica. Also, to help educate people about the connection between the mountains and rivers with the ocean. They all play a role in maintaining the health of our environment.
I think this app is very unique and amazing. It allows us not only to raise awareness, but also to connect with like-minded individuals who share the same vision for our world. So definitely the skilled-impact feature. This enables all of us to use our skills to make a meaningful impact.
The one thing that I would love to share is that the whole world is interconnected in one way or another. I hope that all of us begin making changes within our communities for a healthier future for our oceans. I hope that both present and future generations can enjoy and learn from the world in a more sustainable and organic way. It's important to incorporate this mindset into everything that we do or love.