Art camp
Ages 5-10, Dec. 8-10, 4-6 p.m.; Dec. 14-17, 9 a.m.-noon, Bello Horizonte, Escazú, 100 m east, 450 m south of Toycos. Info: 8346-3030.

María Pretiz in concert
Part of the ‘Theater at Noon' series, 12:10 p.m., National Theater.

Elementary Orchestra and Children's Choir in concert
7 p.m., Centro Cultural Cantonal de Mora, north side of church, Ciudad Colón, 2249-3124. 

Tiesto Kaleidoscope
Dutch DJ, Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Torre Geko, Real Cariari Mall, Ciudad Cariari, Heredia, www.todoticket.com.

Want to find out about more events, venues, clubs and classes around Costa Rica?  Subscribe to our Daily News e-mail edition and receive our full calendar in your in-box five days a week.

Costa Rica's Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) said it will revoke all airport operation permits next year held by Taxis Unidos, the company that provides service at the Juan Santamaría International Airport, for not using mandatory taximeters.

A recent ARESEP investigation revealed that not one of the orange fleet's 75 airport taxis uses a price meter, known as the maría, when providing rides.

According to Costa Rican law, all taxis must be equipped with “a measuring system that allows the user to know the sum to pay,” making use of the meter obligatory.

Taxis Unidos has been charging customers a flat rate upon entering the taxi and handing clients a receipt, according to the general regulator at ARESEP.

In March 2010, the transport company must hand over the public service license plates that it has been using at Juan Santamaría. The three month delay is designed to give the Public Works Ministry (MOPT) time to take find other means to fill transportation gaps that may be left by the revocation.

Costa Rica's Tabacón Grand Spa and Thermal Resort recently became the first hotel in the world to be recognized with the international Seven Stars Green World Award for its ecological initiatives.

The award, given to a hotel or resort that has shown a commitment to environmental protection by providing innovative solutions in the hospitality industry, was bestowed on Tabacón for a series of environmental initiatives introduced in the past two years.

“Tabacón's team has taken voluntary steps to establish international leadership in the direction of a sustainable, secure and peaceful future for our world,” said Thorsten Buehrmann, president and CEO of Seven Stars and Stripes. “Tabacón is not only carbon neutral but is also demonstrating social responsibility by providing funds for improving the quality of education and increasing the environmental awareness of the local population.”

A little more than two years ago, Tabacón – which is located at the base of Arenal Volcano and is renowned for its thermal hot springs – hired a team to measure its carbon footprint and set a plan to try to reduce it. They planted 1,200 native trees on the resort's 750-acre property through a reforestation program, replaced inefficient bulbs throughout their resort with fluorescent lighting, and cut back on their solid waste through a series of recycling programs.

“We feel responsible for leaving a better world,” said Iván Hernández, a manager at Tabacón. “A lot of hotels and businesses are going green as a marketing technique. That's not our motivation. We want to make sure we are a responsible and productive member of the local community.”

In late November, the Environment Ministry recognized that Tabacón had achieved carbon neutrality as part of Costa Rica's 2021 carbon neutral plan. A recent report showed Tabacón was responsible for 792 metric tons of carbon emissions, but with its protected property (mitigating 1,400 tons of carbon released) it has a positive balance of 608 tons.

Hernández said the resort is not satisfied remaining at those levels. He said Tabacón is continually experimenting in ways to lower its carbon footprint by reducing travel between the resort's San José offices and Tabacón, swapping out inefficient air conditioning systems and changing energy sources.

Wal-Mart Mexico announced Monday that it will acquire Wal-Mart Central America within the next few weeks.

Shareholders of Wal-Mart Mexico will acquire 51 percent of the shares of Wal-Mart Central America, while the remaining 49 percent will remain distributed among minority shareholders throughout the region. Wal-Mart Central America is the leading operator of supermarkets in the region, with locations in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

“We are uniting two important businesses,” said Doug McMillon, the president and CEO of Wal-Mart International. “This will improve the level of cooperation in the area and offer better service to our clients in Latin America.”

Wal-Mart Central America manages 519 stores and 11 distribution centers. Wal-Mart International reports that sales for the Central American locations have totaled more than $3.3 billion over the past 12 months.

In Costa Rica, Wal-Mart employs about 9,200 people in the Palí, Más x Menos, Hipermás and Maxi Bodega grocery stores, all of which are owned by Wal-Mart. In the Central American region, Wal-Mart employs more than 30,000 people.

In Mexico, Wal-Mart has close to 1,500 locations throughout the country.

Marcos Samaha, the president and CEO of Wal-Mart Central America, will continue to lead the regional operation and will join the board of directors for Wal-Mart Mexico. The acquisition and restructuring process is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Wal-Mart did not indicate whether there will be job reductions.