A Green Vine Snake (oxybelis fulgidus) spotted by one of my students in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. This volcano and its surrounding slopes, hot springs, mud pots, and rich primary dry forest shelter some of the country's most impressive and important species. The protected area is a vital piece of the biological corridor utilized by tapirs and jaguars, and significant alterations to the intact forest could spell their untimely demise. For years now, there has been talk of the construction of a geothermal plant within the bounds of the National Park; while this proposed new exploitation of Costa Rica's green and renewable energy could bring us closer to a world without fossil fuels, one must also consider the precedent that this construction would set in stone. Are we willing to compromise our protected lands in the pursuit of renewable energy? Or is there another answer beyond the ultimatum? These are the important questions that the next generation has to answer as we move forward in pursuit of a sustainable future and the conservation of our planet's keystone biodiversity.