Like thousands of American tourists, Don Alderman fell in love with pure vida beauty and laid-back warmth of Costa Rica. He traveled there frequently and around 2005, bought some land in a remote corner of the Costa Rican mountains. And he observed the tiny agrarian community he’d grown to love changed as tourism’s impact grew. Many of the native mountain people were losing land, being displaced and having to move to cities to find jobs. And that’s when Don got a cheesy idea. In this TEDxCharleston talk, Don shares his story of helping a family create a sustainable dairy farm, and build a life for themselves that in turn enriched the community

An investment and wealth manager by day and Costa Rican farmer by vacation, this inveterate traveler believes responsible tourism can improve lives and reduce suffering in destination communities.