EARTH University
We left La Selva Biological Station around noon today, then drove about an hour west to Earth University. At the website, you can find this description under Our Identity:
EARTH, inaugurated in1990, is an international, private, not-for-profit university dedicated to education, extension, research and the generation of value through production, transformation and commercialization activities. The academic program, leading to a “licenciatura” degree, emphasizes the agricultural sciences and the rational management of natural resources. The University seeks to contribute to sustainable development, with a special emphasis on the humid tropics; a region characterized by immense biological and cultural richness, yet threatened by social marginalization and inappropriate agricultural and natural resource management systems.
Pretty impressive facility, I must say. Amazing what folks can do with enough resources. The campus is a beautifully manicured modern university sprawling across 8,000 plus acres. They recruit the best and the brightest mainly from Latin America. The website states there are 400 students from 23 countries around the world. At least 80% of students are granted full or partial scholarship. EARTH U. has graduated 1,082 professionals from 19 countries in Latin America, Europe and Africa. Below is the library building, obviously built with funds from the Kellogg Foundation.
Kellogg Library at EARTH U.
We were given tour of the grounds this afternoon by two sophomores. Each has hopes of returning to their respective communities and beginning businesses in medical herbs or ecotourism. The coolest thing we saw was an organic banana farm and processing plant. They even use the banana stem leftovers to make banana paper. Supermarket chain Whole Foods has been selling EARTH University Brand bananas from the farm for a few years now. So, find a Whole Foods store near you and support “the EARTH!”
Organic Banana Farm
