of nature
THE GREEN ARK FOUNDATION
Our mission is to educate and share knowledge about the use of plants for a better personal life and for the well-being of the planet.
“It has long been my dream that the Green Ark Botanical Garden become a place where all can learn about plants that have economic and practical life support uses for mankind.”
-Harve Thomas, Founder of The Green Ark
When visiting the garden, learning starts with a visit to our thematic ethnobotanical garden terraces- a Medicinal Garden, a Culinary Garden, a Tropical Food Garden (Milpa), an Essential Oils Garden, and a Natural Colorants Garden
Most known disease and physical ailment have a natural remedy of which most are readily available and inexpensive. Big Pharma mimics natural plant remedies using synthesized copies and then charge outrageous fees for their patents. Here in the garden you will see many of the plants that have been used safely and effectively for centuries, so walk through and discover ways to take control of your health for a very minimal cost.
This garden is for Chefs that like to know and experience the flavors of the different cultures of the word. Many varieties of herbs, spices, greens, chilies, tomatoes, vegetables, and some new high proteins plants like katuk.
Milpa is a crop-growing system based on the ancient agricultural methods of Maya and Mesoamerican people, dating back to 2000 B.C. It refers to a cropping field, where the "Three sisters", maize, beans and squash, were produced together because it provides a cooperative system that benefits each of them. Our Milpa has added other common tropical foods, like the tubers, bananas, spices, and protein plants from other areas of the world.
Dating back to 3.500 B.C., the first records of essential oils come from India, China and Egypt. Such oils were called essential because they were thought to represent the very essence of odor and flavor. They are used on a global level as preservatives, flavors, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Distillation has become the most common method of production, but a lot of new technologies have recently emerged.
The first textile dyeing came from India around 2.000 B.C. The dyeing process is basically immersion of a textile in a cooked plant based colorant liquid and then fixed with the use of a chemical mordant.
A tour of The Ark Botanical Garden is a tour of the senses. Herbs are crushed to smell and taste. The garden paths meander through trees, bamboo stands and a diversity of gardens in one of the most extensive collections of plants in Central America.
Getting to Heaven:
We are located just 30 minutes from the capital city, San José.
A 20 km distance from town, it will to take about 30 minutes to get to us via the main highway (General Cañas Highway) or 45 minutes through the town of Heredia. See on google maps
