This video is the bloopers reel from my most recent conversation with Michael Streda, the owner of Beach Dog Cafe.
On this particular day Michael Streda had taken some punches… He received notice of a $30,000 (or more) mistake he might be paying for, his schedule of delivery trucks constantly interrupted his pre-scheduled interview at inopportune times, his restaurant was busy unexpectedly and he had been trying for weeks to get me to sit down and talk with him.
My schedule is incredibly busy and this pretty much was the one opportunity he had for me to help him announce lower prices across the board for everyone, in addition to even further discounts for Costa Rican’s and full time residents. Pretty good stuff, right?
So he was trying to do something really good… But pretty much everything was going wrong on this day for him.
I hope you enjoy this short blooper reel of me basically laughing at everything going wrong for my friend on this particular morning.
For anyone unaware: Running a business in Nosara is extremely different from a vacation in Nosara. The people who are successful with their businesses have thick skin and can take a punch due to the innumerable circumstances which constantly surface.
Mike is the epitome of perseverance and I will forever respect him for this… But this footage is just too funny not to air.
The actual interview will be airing next week.
Thanks Michael Streda for what you’re doing and for letting everyone see inside a couple moments of hilarity!
Paula Soto Fournier from Green Solutions is about as nice a person as you can meet. Her formal training is extremely different from her current job as she has a degree in engineering… However, in 2012 she decided to follow her heart and open Green Solutions, an environmentally friendly line of products many households, businesses, and hotels in Nosara currently prefer to use because of the environmental impact.
As you will hear in this episode she adores Nosara and is trying to make the world a better place with her company. In this episode Paula advises us on which products we need to stop using immediately and discusses her surfing advancements, likes and dislikes about Nosara, her company’s vision and direction, and of course her favorite Nosara restaurants.
I hope you enjoy this episode with Paula and recommend looking into Green Solutions.
Green Solutions — What it is, how it started in 2012, and why the distribution model exists: one eco-friendly supplier for hotels, restaurants, and homes across Costa Rica.
Paula’s background — Industrial engineer from San José, came to Nosara on vacation, worked at Harmony, and built a company around something she actually believes in.
Why bleach and detergents are dangerous — Bleach kills good bacteria, destroys septic systems, and poisons the ocean food chain. Phosphate detergents grow algae that kills coral. Both need to go.
The price objection — High-concentration products mean you dilute them. The real cost per use is lower than people think. Free staff training included.
Nosara as a market — The community here is unusually willing to pay for quality and sustainability. Paula considers it the best environment she’s found in Costa Rica for what she sells.
The growth curve — Eight years building the business, two years watching the mindset finally shift. Plastic straws, plastic bags, bleach — people are done with them.
Surfing — Weekend surfer, recently upgraded to a Merrick, hitting turns for the first time. Favorite waves: Asturies and Kepis.
Nosara food scene — Olivia, Burgers and Beers, Peppino’s. The secret casado at Peppino’s gets a special mention.
What’s next — Expanding into organic food, bringing eco-packaging prices down, and tightening logistics before scaling further.
Episode Transcript: Paula Soto
00:32 – From San José to Nosara – Paula’s Origin Story
Rich Burnam (Rich): Paula, you’re in — thanks for coming.
Paula Soto (Paula): Thank you very much for inviting me.
Rich: I’m happy to have you here. You are the owner of Green Solutions — introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your history.
Paula: I’m from San José, from the west side. I went to school there and then to university — UCR.
Rich: So you’re going to tell us your story today and a little about what you guys are up to. Thanks for stopping by — I know you have a busy schedule, shooting all around Costa Rica.
Paula: The company goes all around Costa Rica, but I love Nosara, so I only come here myself. Since I was a little kid I always loved nature — water, taking care of plants, all of it. At university I didn’t study anything related; I’m an industrial engineer. But I came here on vacation, fell in love with the place, decided to work at Harmony for a while, and then I started the company. I always came back to Nosara and started sourcing products here. We have other vendors who go all around — Jacó, Puerto Viejo, Tamarindo, San Carlos.
Rich: I’ve seen the trucks in different cities throughout the country.
Paula: Yeah, exactly. I’m the owner, so I have other things to manage, but I love Nosara and I love my clients here — I don’t want to hand that route off to anyone else.
Rich: That’s pretty smart. Good for you.
02:12 – Surfing Progress and Favorite Waves on the Pacific
Rich: I hope no one comes and steals your route. And I have to say something about your surfing — I watched you drop into a wave recently and do a cutback. I’ve never seen you surf that well.
Paula: I’ve been practicing. I work hard during the week and surf on the weekends. I won’t say I’m living for surfing — I don’t want to jinx it — but it’s been growing and I’ve been feeling really great. I also changed my board. I went from a longboard to a Merrick, which has a rocker system that generates a lot of velocity when you pump. It’s been working really well.
Rich: And the fact that you split your time between San José and Nosara keeps you sharp. You come in fresh after a week away, you’re feeling confident, and that’s why you’re hitting the lip and doing turns. Congratulations.
Paula: Thank you.
Rich: Wave-wise, what are your favorites on the Pacific coast?
Paula: I have a few, but the wave that has given me the most happiness in my life is Asturies — it’s a really good one. Also Kepis, which we surfed a couple of weeks ago when those big swells came through. It’s not always on — you need the right swell — but when it hits, it’s amazing.
Rich: What a different place Kepis is compared to Nosara. Is there anything on the coast that’s even remotely similar to Nosara?
Paula: No, I don’t think so. It’s pretty particular here. Maybe Santa Teresa is the closest — you’re away from everything, it’s hard to get to, so the people who come are the ones who really love nature. The road in is similarly brutal. But even that’s a stretch. There’s really no other Nosara on the Pacific coast.
04:47 – What Paula Loves — and Doesn’t Love — About Nosara
Rich: You’ve talked about how much you love Nosara, so now I have to ask — what do you dislike? What’s the challenge?
Paula: The roads and the dust. That’s the worst. For us it’s really bad. I know the roads are what gets us the business — we’re needed out here — but every time we drive back to San José we have to do maintenance on the truck because of the road conditions. That part is genuinely rough.
Rich: Roads — completely makes sense. What else?
Paula: It’s not that I hate it, but it’s a curious thing — everybody speaks in English here. I’m almost speaking in English myself right now.
Rich: Of course — you are! You’re the owner of Green Solutions, you have a great route here. How did you first fall in love with Nosara?
Paula: I came here with four friends from university during a long break — three months off. We decided to come, we loved it so much, and then all our friends started coming. I can honestly say that almost all of my best friends now live here — except me. I brought everyone and then I left.
Rich: You brought everyone here and they were smarter than you.
Paula: Exactly — they stayed.
06:16 – Why Green Solutions Is a Perfect Fit for Nosara
Rich: It seems like your company is a perfect fit for Nosara.
Paula: It’s great here. I’m really thankful to the Nosara community because people here are genuinely open to it. They’re not overly price-sensitive in the way you find in other parts of the country — where someone will say “it’s 200 colones more, forget it.” Here it’s different. People will pay what it takes to take care of what they love and what they live on.
Rich: So people here are willing to pay a bit more for something they feel is good for the environment or good for themselves. Your products are a step up in quality from the average store cleaner, and you’re saying the Nosara market gets that.
Paula: And it’s not even that expensive when you do a real comparison. If you know how to use the products and dilute them properly, the quality is so much better and they last longer. It actually evens out.
07:35 – The History of Green Solutions and How It Started
Rich: Walk us through what you do — what type of products do you sell?
Paula: Let me start from the history of the company. When I started, there were some small producers making soaps and little eco-friendly things, and then there were hotels and restaurants that wanted to go green but had to track down every single product separately — different prices, different suppliers, a real headache. The supply chain was the problem. That’s when we decided to create a company that distributes only eco-friendly products under one roof.
Rich: What year was that?
Paula: 2012. I had a degree in industrial engineering, I’d done time at Harmony, and I said — let’s do this.
Rich: That’s a pretty big step.
Paula: It was really hard. I was working part-time with my dad on a low salary and I just decided to go for it. I didn’t have much money. I just started working, working, working. And my friend Mariju — she’s always been incredible to me. She gave me a place to stay, and friends would let me crash with them too. She’s been one of my biggest supporters from the beginning. She loves the company and she tells everyone about it.
Rich: Let’s give a shoutout to Mariju — because I’ve heard you talk about your company and she genuinely sends people your way.
Paula: I love her. She’s been the best for everything in my life, really. And all my friends started promoting the products early on, and that’s how we got going.
09:25 – The Full Product Line — From Cleaning to Food
Rich: So what do you actually carry now?
Paula: We’ve grown a lot. It’s funny — people call us and say “I want my friend’s company,” because word travels. We carry cleaning products, paper products — paper towels, toilet paper — and also takeaway containers: clamshells, cups, all of that. We have healthcare too: repellents, shampoos, conditioners. And now we’re getting into food. People care more and more about what goes into their bodies, so we’re adding beverages, milk substitutes, organic and gluten-free items, organic ketchup — that kind of thing. We also have garden products so people can grow organic food at home, and natural repellents you can use instead of chemicals for mosquitoes and bugs.
Rich: So basically everything from cleaning your kitchen and bathroom to going to the beach and then feeding yourself.
Paula: Exactly. One supplier, everything covered.
Rich: Is being a distributor rather than a producer the right model for you?
Paula: Yes — that’s the key. We don’t produce; we distribute. Especially for hotels and restaurants, having one supplier who covers everything is a huge relief. Otherwise you’re calling one person for paper, another for cleaning products, another for shampoo. It’s exhausting.
Rich: Can a regular homeowner buy directly from you, or do they need to find you in a store?
Paula: Both. They can go to greensolutionscr.com and order online — that’s the easiest way. Or they can call us directly. We also supply different supermarkets and stores, so you can find some of our products on shelves too.
12:10 – Why Bleach and Detergents Are the Enemy
Rich: What products really bother you — the ones you just can’t stand because you have something so much better?
Paula: Definitely bleach. Bleach is the worst.
Rich: Why?
Paula: Because it kills everything. Bleach kills all bacteria and organisms — good and bad. And that’s the problem, because nature makes everything for a reason. There are good bacteria and microorganisms that help septic tanks function, that help with grease processing, that keep the whole system moving. When you kill those with bleach, your septic system starts having problems. You feel like everything is clean, but you’re just resetting the clock. It’s a never-ending cycle.
Rich: And the environmental side?
Paula: Everything goes to the ocean eventually. Bleach kills microorganisms that are at the base of the food chain. When you wipe out those foundational organisms, everything else above them starts dying too. So bleach — for your house, for your health, for the planet — nothing about it is good. Get it out of your life.
Rich: What else?
Paula: Detergents. The base of most conventional detergents is phosphates, and phosphates cause algae to grow in the soil, in the rivers, in the ocean. It kills coral. It chokes out life in the rivers — when a river is contaminated you can literally see the algae on the surface. That’s all phosphates.
Rich: So the detergent tears up the land, and as it reaches the water it creates algae and destroys coral.
Paula: Yes. And those things are in every home, everywhere.
15:02 – The Green Solutions Alternative — Biodegradable Disinfectants
Paula: With disinfectants, most conventional ones contain ammonia. We use a formula that is ammonia-free — it meets FDA standards for biodegradable systems. That’s actually where the name Green Solutions comes from: we have solutions, and they’re green.
Rich: I love that. And if you could get everyone off bleach and conventional detergents, that would be a huge thing — for you and for the world.
Paula: Especially for the world. That’s what I love about this work. Of course we need to make money — we need to eat — but I love that I’m doing something more. I’m not working just to work. I work because I love it, and because I want to change people’s minds. It’s not just about the money.
16:13 – What’s Next — New Products and Lower Prices
Rich: What’s next for you guys?
Paula: We’re looking for new products — organic things you can’t easily find here. And we’re also working hard to bring prices down on containers, cups, takeaway packaging. I know they’re expensive and that’s a real barrier. We operate on a fair trade policy — the cost is what it is when you want higher quality — but we’re genuinely trying to find ways to make eco-friendly options more accessible to more people.
17:16 – The Biggest Objection — Price — and How to Answer It
Rich: What’s the biggest objection you hear when you’re trying to get a hotel or a household to switch to your products?
Paula: Price. Definitely price. But here’s the thing — if you know how to use the products, price is actually not the issue it seems to be. Our cleaning products are high concentration. You dilute them, you use a small amount, and they perform better than what you were using before. When you factor that in, the cost per use comes down significantly.
Rich: So a diluted version of your product is still outperforming conventional bleach, and the real cost is lower than people think.
Paula: Exactly. And I spend a lot of my day explaining this. We even do free training sessions — I just came from Sámara to do one for the cleaning staff at a hotel. Whenever a hotel or restaurant wants their team to understand biodegradable products — how to dilute them, why they’re better for the environment, why they’re better for their own health and their hands and their breathing — we do that for free. With pleasure.
Rich: That’s great. The culture of a business starts at the top, but it lives with the people doing the work every day.
19:34 – The Growth Curve — Eight Years Building, Two Years Exploding
Rich: It seems like now is a very good time to be in this business. The awareness curve is just starting to really take off.
Paula: It’s amazing to watch. We started eight years ago, and for six of those years I was out there explaining the same things we’re talking about right now. But the last two years have been totally different. People are getting it. They genuinely don’t want the plastic straws, they don’t want the plastic bags. The mindset is shifting. I’ve seen more mental change in the last two years than in the first six combined.
Rich: I think part of what’s happening is that social media, for all its problems — and I think it’s a cancer for gossip in a small town like this — might actually be what saves the planet. Because the message is dripping in constantly. We all heard about recycling as kids, but then we were also told recycling doesn’t really work. Now information is actually connecting people across the world. Someone in China is connected to someone in Africa, connected to someone in Europe. This knowledge is permeating. And I think that’s what you’re seeing in your business — people said no a hundred times, and then on the hundred and first time, they did it.
Paula: Yes. And the kids now are the ones educating the parents. This is the first generation being taught this stuff while they’re young. That changes everything.
Rich: I think we should celebrate a little bit.
Paula: I agree. We’ve been doing the work for a long time — not just me, the whole community. Nosara has been fighting for this. It’s good timing, and I’m glad it’s happening.
23:23 – Growing Pains — Managing Deliveries Across Costa Rica
Rich: The company is growing. What does that look like from the inside? Any growing pains?
Paula: There are. Deliveries are the main challenge. Getting around Costa Rica isn’t always easy — between the roads and the trucks, we always have something to deal with on the logistics side. And we’ve had some issues with our electronic invoicing system — factura electrónica — which makes clients understandably frustrated when the receipt doesn’t come through properly.
Rich: Sounds like you’re about to make a big push on infrastructure.
Paula: We are. And honestly, our focus right now is not on growing faster — it’s on doing the current business better. It’s hard when more orders are available and you want to take them, but discipline matters more right now. We want to have a solid foundation before we scale.
Rich: That’s smart and hard to do at the same time. Congratulations on the discipline — it’ll serve you well.
24:46 – Paula’s Favorite Restaurants in Nosara
Rich: You come to Nosara a lot and you know this place well. What are your three favorite restaurants and what do you order?
Paula: That’s a hard one. I love Olivia so much — the pizzas. I get the prosciutto with arugula, but I swap the cheese for hummus. That’s my move.
Rich: Nice. What else?
Paula: Burgers and Beers for the classic burger. I don’t eat red meat, so I go for their fish sandwich, which is amazing. But have you tried the Love Burger? It’s completely vegan and it’s incredible — it’s from Sámara and they just opened a location here. The best plant-based burger I’ve had.
Rich: So for a real burger, Burgers and Beers. For a next-level hippie burger, Love Burger. Both are the best at what they do.
Paula: Exactly. And then Peppino’s. It’s one of my best stops here. I love their focaccia with shrimp and pesto — they have a whole section of things without cheese, which as an Italian restaurant is pretty impressive. But actually — do you know about the secret item at Peppino’s?
Rich: The casado! Jessie Sheffield pointed that out to me. It’s huge, it’s great, and you always end up taking half home.
Paula: Always. That’s the one.
26:57 – Final Thoughts — A Thank You to the Nosara Community
Rich: Before we go — any shoutouts or a message you’d like to get out to the community?
Paula: I just want to say thank you to Nosara for the way they’ve welcomed us as a company. The mindset here — the social awareness, the openness to doing things better — it’s the best environment I’ve found anywhere. Thank you for welcoming me and our products.
Rich: That’s a great message to end on. Thanks for coming in, Paula — best wishes to you and Green Solutions, and it was great to hear your story.
Emily Kwok is an amazing human being. Not only is she a 3x World Champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in multiple categories, she is a mother of 2 (soon to be 3), wife, coach, co-owns a highly successful BJJ Academy, and is studying advanced learning processes and their implementation across all walks of life.
Although she is extremely well known in the martial arts world, I wanted to speak with her more about life itself. In particular, I wanted to understand what makes her operate and succeed at such high levels while maneuvering through life’s challenges. Some of the items we discuss are relationships, family, work, failure, mental, physical and time restraints, overcoming our past tendencies, how to manage expectations, being a good parent, and demanding authenticity in relationships.
Although today it seems Emily is the epitome or living definition of success, this was not always the case… As you will hear in this episode, her growth into who she is now was initiated by overcoming and transitioning significant challenges and obstacles into opportunities.
Oh yeah, she’s also in the process of learning how to surf which is a consistent theme we go back to in the conversation… The manner in which she processes new information, challenges, and failure, all as part of the growth experience is exciting to see. I’m truly enjoying watching her NOT be good at something and seeing what measures she is taking to improve at this foreign activity… It is not every day someone of her caliber is willing to admit she ‘sucks at something’ but works at it right in front of you. Hopefully you feel the same way and incorporate her approach to something in your life; whatever it may be.
She holds very little back in this conversation and I strongly recommend making time to watch and or listen to this one… It is a very special episode and I’m honored Emily chose my podcast to share such personal insights.
I want to thank Gerry Hurtado, Emily’s awesome husband, for everything he does to help the Nosara kids and my family. This is a good man in most every sense and I hope to spend more time with him in the future. Also I want to thank my daughter, Kaiya, for editing the video and audio portions on this podcast. It something she will remember forever.
It would seem to me Josue Ruiz Guerrero would be more stressed out… But he’s not. He claims to sleep peacefully and says he is enjoying this learning process as Nosara is transitioning through a momentous time period.
It is very interesting for me to see how someone in his position can be so relaxed given the implications at hand. Overall, he exemplifies a level of ‘Pura Vida’ I am still working towards understanding.
In this conversation I ask Josue a great many questions in an attempt to gain clarity on the 2nd proposal of the temporary building regulations and the upcoming Plan Regulador. Josue is an ardent believer the Plan Regulador will be completed in 2 to 3 years. However, as you will hear in this podcast, I am extremely suspicious about this.
Regardless, Josue provides a massive amount of insight and everyone involved in Nosara should listen to his message.
Here is just a sample of my questions for Josue:
Why did the lot size adjust from 1000m2 to no minimum restriction?
Why is everything being pushed through so fast?
What is accurate timeframe of a true Plan Regulador?
Is there outside interests funding this process or applying pressure?
Is there enough information to implement the temporary plan?
How long until these new regulations are published in the national paper and enacted?
What can the general public do to help facilitate any part of this?
Plus a great deal more…
Please remember your opinion still matters and Josue is listening to all feedback. All details for contact, including phone numbers, are included in this episode.
I hope you enjoy this episode and take action accordingly. This is something which needs attention now, not later.
Andres Gonzalez has deep roots in Nosara. His family arrived here in the 80’s and Nosara made such an impression on he him he chose to start and raise his family here while building his legal practice. Currently he owns and operates IBL Consultores and the Nosara Beach Hostel. However, his focus remains on being a good husband and father to his 2 kids while helping shape Nosara into the place he feels it should be.
Although he is on a temporary hiatus from the many committees he normally is serving on… He still remains involved in community activities and is a vocal proponent on many of Nosara’s pressing issues.
In this episode of the Nosara Podcast he discusses with Rich a plethora of community issues including Nosara in the ‘old days,’ the difference between Nosara buyers 10 years ago to today, the current building regulations debate and the zoning plan time frame, the recently closed beach pathways, what anyone buying real estate in Nosara should be aware of, Andres cracks some jokes at Rich’s expense, he shares his opinion of the 3 types of people in Nosara today are, his Nosara dislikes, his favorite restaurants plus a great deal more.
This episode details how Del Mar Academy is involving local Costa Rican children in the school and taking great strides to continue this pattern. Many changes have been made to DMA’s Scholarship Committee and the number of scholarship student recipients has more than doubled in recent years and this hopefully is just the beginning as you will hear in this episode.
This episode begins with a recent Del Mar Academy graduate and Scholarship recipient, Alanis, sharing her experience and thoughts about being a high school graduate thanks to the DMA scholarship program.
It took a couple minutes for the conversation to get rolling but once it did I this young woman shared some heartwarming insights. Here is small a sample of her insights from our conversation in bold:
Why should people donate to Del Mar Academy?
“You are helping an entire family. Not just that student… I am teaching my parents what I am learning in some things.”
Why did you want to speak English?
“Because it is a great opportunity. I can get better jobs and and I can have improved relationships and make new friends.”
What is special about DMA?
“When I was at a public school they never taught us environmental values. This is something I can teach my family. For example, my family is recycling now. If I didn’t go to DMA this probably would not be happening.”
When I asked her what she wants to say to potential donors she states:
“Please donate to the scholarship program… It is very important to give kids from the local community an opportunity.”
The second part of the episode brings in DMA founder Haley Macmillan Ord and Scholarship Committee President Jane Marchant.
Hayley gives us a solid DMA overall update and Jane details the many updates to the Scholarship Committee.
Quick overview of the updates are the STEAM program and a matching funds feature, updates on the non profit benefits for donors and recent grants acquired, how donation money is utilized.
8 graduates:
5 Costa Rican, 2 of which are Scholarship program graduates
Jane updates us on her 3 year tenure leading the Scholarship Committee and the multiple ongoing efforts and adjustments to getting more local children into DMA.
Many adjustments have been made in recent years and Jane’s leadership is yielding significant results. For example, the implementation of partial scholarships are making a huge difference.
Last year alone there was a jump from 8 Costa Rican Scholarship students up to 16. Furthermore, there are requirements and follow systems in place to help ensure the child has a maximum chance of succeeding. Jane explains the students do have to put in best efforts in academics as well as behavior in addition to having a true local tie to the Nosara community.
We discuss the challenges of securing long term rentals for teachers and faculty and halfway jokingly ask for investors to build some affordable long term rentals.
There’s a ton more in this episode and I hope you enjoy it.
To learn more about Del Mar Academy visit their websites both for the school itself and the Scholarship Program:
One of my favorite things about living in Nosara is how many incredibly unique people there are to meet. Some live here full or part time, while others visit for a while on vacation…
But every now and then, a vegan riding his bike from Alaska to Argentina rolls through with his dog Maggie running beside him.
Yup. Alaska to Argentina, 100% on a bike.
My immediate thought was: ‘Why would anyone want to do this?’ So I pulled out the microphone and figured I’d ask him and share it with everyone.
Listen in and find out what Jackson is doing this for.
By the way, Maggie the dog is thrilled to be on the journey. Jackson rescued Maggie in Los Angeles from a shelter in Los Angeles and she’s been with him the entire time. She was obese and super aggressive back then but now is happy as can be and when not running alongside Jackson she wants to play fetch (as you will see in the video).
Follow Jackson at Plantriotic Jackson on Instagram, YouTube, and occasionally Facebook under the name Plantriotic Jackson.
What an adventure living in Nosara often proves to be… Ever since the proposed new building regulations were announced this past May my life has been a bit of a blur. However, a big step towards clarity seems to be happening this week. The updates to the new building regulations proposed by the Nicoya Municipality are formally being announced this week in Nosara.
Fortunately, Nosara Civic Association leaders Ethel ‘Kuki’ Araya and Nice Alterman stopped by my Nosara Podcast to announce the updates which are being announced Thursday and Friday at formal meetings hosted by Nicoya Municipality representatives.
To be clear: There is still time to voice concerns and this proposal is not formally enacted. However, many of the key points have been adjusted and the NCA leadership very much is of the opinion the vast majority of the Nosara populace is in support of the new proposal. They are asking everyone who supports the new regulations to email the Nicoya Municipality (email provided in the episode) to voice their support of the new regulations and to attend at least one of the formal meetings if they can.
No matter whether you agree or disagree, there is still time to be heard. Please give this episode a listen and carefully decide where you may stand on each key point. Height, light, percentage of use, and size restrictions plus more are all addressed in this conversation. I hope you will make your voice heard and take advantage of this opportunity!
