NO CARBON IN PARADISE: Costa Rica aims to eliminate fossil fuel use nationwide. Arthur Morris/Corbis

Costa Rica's natural splendor, coastal beauty, and laid-back attitude have transformed it into an ecotourism hotspot. It also happens to get 94 percent of its energy supply from renewable sources: wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower among them. That gives Costa Rica a good shot at being the first nation to go carbon neutral. Unfortunately, construction has begun on a new fossil fuel-fired power plant, which would undermine attempts to erase Costa Rica's global warming footprint. NRDC and private donors from its partner group Environmental Entrepreneurs are working with the Costa Rican government to promote efficiency measures that will help eliminate the need for a new power plant. First step? Change the lightbulbs. On November 12, NRDC and its collaborators launched a pilot project to demonstrate the savings that could be achieved by putting energy-efficient lightbulbs in every Costa Rican home.