General Problem/Problem Costa Rica is labeled as one of the green countries in the world. It has faced its fair share of environmental concerns since it was the number one beef producer for McDonald's in the 1970s. The country has suffered extreme deforestation due to increased livestock grazing. Since then, Costa Rica has managed to abandon deforestation through conservation efforts in forests, nature reserves and national parks. It has used ecotourism as a tool and has proven to be the greatest help in reversing the state of environmental degradation. Ecotourism has proven to be a very profitable industry that helps support the country, but it has proven to have both positive and negative impacts on the country. The positive impacts are highlighted especially through the continued publications of marketing schemes about how sustainable Costa Rica is. This article attempts to uncover the truths behind using ecotourism as a tool for sustainability. Sustainability has been a hot topic and concern of many people since the lasting effects of environmental degradation came to the forefront. It is no longer a small concern to the world and Costa Rica has demonstrated that it has made significant efforts in the conservation and preservation of its environment. It is becoming vital that these sustainability efforts continue and grow. One way Costa Rica has done this is through tourism, and there is a growing emphasis on art being a strong force in aiding these efforts. Art has been a tool of expression since its first appearance long ago in murals, carved in stone. These murals were able to tell a story and convey important information from the artist's point of view. This is a great example of how sustainability... half of paper..., December 27, 2011. Accessed February 2014. http://unu.edu/publications/articles/ethics-and- environmentalismo-costa-ricas-lesson .html.Costa Rica.“Environment Costa Rica – current issues” Index Mundi. Last modified: December 6, 2013. Accessed February 2014. http://www.indexmundi.com/costa_rica/environment_current_issues.html.UNEP. “UNEP”, United Nations Environment Program (environment for development). Last modified 2014. Accessed February 2014. http://www.unep.org/“How the Arts and Cultural Tourism Spur Economic Development”, Western City. Last modified May 2013. Accessed April 2, 2014. http://www.westerncity.com/Western-City/May-2013/How-the-Arts/.The International Ecotourism Society. “The Definition,” The International EcotourismSociety, last modified 2012, accessed 8 April 2014, https://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism/.