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8/4/2019 EARTH en Detalle

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Our campusEARTH campus in Gucimo

In the heart of the tropical rainforest in theAtlantic lowlands of Costa Rica, resides EARTHUniversity. The 8,342-acre campus includesclassrooms, laboratories, academic farms, sportsand recreational facilities, student and facultyresidences, a commercial banana plantation and a

forest reserve.

EARTH-La Flor

EARTH is currently in the planning and developmentphase of a second campus called EARTH-LaFlor, located in the dry tropics of Costa RicasGuanacaste province. Donated to EARTH in 2005by the family of former Costa Rican President,Daniel Oduber Quirs, this 3,700-acre campuspromises to be a hub for research, developmentand innovation. Currently, third-year students spendseven weeks at EARTH-La Flor living and working on

sustainable development projects in the surroundingcommunities, and the campus offers seminarsand training programs in areas such as renewableenergies, entrepreneurship and sustainable agriculture.

Since 1990, EARTH Universitys innovativeeducational approach has been preparingyoung people from Latin America, the Caribbeanand other regions, including Africa and Asia, tocontribute to the sustainable development oftheir countries and construct a prosperous and

just society. EARTH offers a rigorous four-yearundergraduate program in agricultural sciences andnatural resources management and a prestigious,international faculty, providing a world-class scienticand technological education that emphasizesvalues, ethical entrepreneurship and environmentaland social commitment.

EARTH was established by Costa Rican law in 1986as a private, non-prot, international University andwas created thanks to the support of the CostaRican Government, U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) and the W.K. KelloggFoundation.

MISSION: Prepare leaders with ethical values tocontribute to the sustainable development of thetropics and to construct a prosperous and just society.


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Academic modelEARTH Universitys curriculum is based on fourpillars designed to prepare graduates with thecompetencies required to respond to the needs oftodays world. These include:

Technical and scientic knowledge: Ensuringthat EARTH alumni have the professionalcompetencies to sustainably manageagriculture and natural resources.

Social and environmental awareness andcommitment: Developing students social andenvironmental responsibility and strengtheningtheir capacity to generate positive change.

Values and ethics: Fostering self-awareness,empathy, respect, tolerance, teamwork,effective communication and life-long learningalong with those values that promote peace,dialog and understanding.

Entrepreneurship: Developing in students anentrepreneurial spirit, so that they will be capableof proactively generating opportunities andsolutions to problems. Students form andoperate a business venture from beginning toend during their rst three years at EARTH,gaining a comprehensive understanding of whatit takes to start a business.

The teaching/learning process at EARTH Universityis dynamic and participatory, and EARTH professorsserve as facilitators of learning. Its educationalapproach is based on two principals:

1-Student-centered learning: Students, alone or ingroups, explore real challenges and becomeactive participants in generating knowledge, asopposed to passive receptors of information.

2- Experiential learning: Students learn throughdeliberate experiences designed to fosterlearning and are given opportunities to buildknowledge and develop abilities.

AccreditationSince November 2006, EARTHs curriculum has beenaccredited by the Costa Rican Higher EducationAccreditation System (SINAES in Spanish), assuringour students and alumni a high-quality educationthat is continually updated.

In addition, EARTH University is the rst institution inCentral America to have its academic programcertied regionally as part of a pilot program of theIbero-American Network of Accreditation Agencies(RIACES in Spanish) and SINAES.


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AlumniEARTH has more than 1500 alumni from 26 countriesin Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, NorthAmerica and Europe

86% work in their country of origin

91% work in Latin America

More than 60% work in the private sector; of

this group more than 20% have their own orfamily business

75% report having a positive social impact

62% report having a positive environmentalimpact

47% are active volunteers in their community

Alumni with more than 10 years since graduationhave created an average of four jobs for eachgraduate.

Student bodyEARTH students are recruited based on theirleadership potential, vocation, values and socialand environmental commitment, regardless of theircapacity to pay.

EARTH has approximately 400 students from morethan 25 countries.

- Approximately 36% are women

- Approximately 71% are from rural communities

All students receive nancial aid that coversmore than half of the actual cost to study atEARTH University.

Half of all students receive a full scholarshipcovering all tuition, room and board fees, whilean additional 30% receive support to partiallycover the fees charged by EARTH.Approximately 20% pay all of the establishedfees for tuition, room and board.


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Communitydevelopment

In 2010, more than 1,600 individuals in thecommunities surrounding EARTH were beneted bythe Institutions Community Development Program,which includes a service-learning course wherestudents work with small-scale, local producers on

their farms and with organized groups to promotesustainable community development.

As part of this program, in 2010:

EARTH installed 18 bio-digesters to help farmersconvert manure and other organic waste intomethane gas that can be used for cooking.In total more than 1,030 bio-digesters havebeen installed in Costa Rica by EARTH or byindividuals or institutions trained by EARTH, andseveral hundred more have been installed byEARTH alumni around the world.

1,623 individuals were trained in wastemanagement best practices.

51 small-scale farming families completed atraining course on how to increase protmargins while implementing sustainable practices.

EARTH University and its commercial bananaoperation employ more than 500 individuals,providing fair wages and benets, use of itsrecreational and library facilities, and professionaltraining and development opportunities.

ResearchWith extensive experience searching for innovativesolutions to challenges in sustainable agriculture,environmental conservation and natural resourcesmanagement, research at EARTH is applicableand actively involves both students and faculty.EARTH has collaborated with institutions, such asthe University of Florida, NASA and the NationalBiodiversity Institute of Costa Rica (INBio), to conduct

collaborative research projects. Examples ofresearch projects include: the search for a cure forChagas disease, identication of agricultural usesfor the by-products of ethanol production fromsugarcane and the development of bio-indictoreld guides for on-site water quality assessments.


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Green campusEARTH University campus is carbon neutral

26,182 tons of carbon dioxide xed annuallythrough agriculture and forestry systems*

1,704 tons of carbon dioxide emitted per year

*Through these systems, EARTH also offsets the emissions of EARTH-LaFlor, EARTH University Foundation in Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. and EARTHUniversitys commercial banana operation, and sells carbon credits

through private sector partnerships.

EARTH is the rst Carbon Neutral certifying entityin Costa Rica.

EARTH University has received the highestdistinction awarded by the Ecological Blue FlagProgram in Costa Rica, a government initiativethat seeks to promote public health, in thefollowing categories: climate neutral community,non-coastal community, actions to face climatechange and protection of natural spaces.

More than 80% of the solid domestic waste

produced on campus is recycled, transformedor reused.

Since 2007, energy consumption on the maincampus has decreased nearly 20 percentthanks to the conversion to energy-efcientlighting and cooling systems.

Liquid petroleum gas consumption in EARTHscafeteria has decreased by 27%t since2009 when EARTH installed a bio-digester thatcollects wastewater from the Universityscafeteria, student dorms, laboratories andadministration buildings, producing biogas tofuel three burners in the Institutions cafeteria.

This is one of ve bio-digesters on campus. The majority of the vegetables, fruit, meats and

dairy products served by the Universityscafeteria are grown organically or sustainablyon EARTHs academic farms.


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Commercialactivities

As part of its commitment to provide opportunitiesto young people who want to make a differencein the world, but lack the resources for a highereducation, EARTH operates a commercial enterpriseand markets EARTH University brand products in

Costa Rica, Latin America and the United States.Prots support EARTHs scholarship program andoperational expenses.

Products for the local market (Costa Rica): 100%natural yogurt, sustainably-grown bananas, naturalcleaning products and biological agricultural inputs

Products for Latin America: Biological agriculturalinputs.

Products for the United States (sold exclusively atWhole Foods Market): Sustainably-grown bananas,pineapple, tropical owers, frozen fruit and coffee

Internationalexchange

EARTH welcomes more than 8,000 visitors every yearto its campus who come as part of educationaltourism programs, conferences and seminars or tolearn about the Institution and its academic model.

EARTH offers study-abroad programs andinternships for college students from around theworld. In addition to these exchange programs,in collaboration with other institutions of higherlearning, EARTH conducts short courses insustainable agriculture, tropical agro-forestry,renewable energies, rural tourism and communityengagement.


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Financial aidprogram

Through the generous support of donors, EARTHUniversity is able to provide opportunities to youngpeople who want to make a difference in theworld but lack the nancial resources for a highereducation.

Financial aid is awarded based on need and theavailability of scholarships.

Please help us change the life of a student, theircommunity, country and the planet we all callhome. Learn how you can become part of EARTH at:www.earth.ac.cr.

Admissions and costsEARTH offers a one-of-a-kind educationalopportunity to those who wish to become leadersof positive change for their countries and the world.The experiential curriculum takes an expansive viewof sustainable agriculture and gives students theopportunity to run their own business, complete aninternational internship and work with members ofthe communities to address real problems.

The admissions process is highly personalized and allcandidates are interviewed both individually and ina group setting to assess qualities that are difcult toevaluate in an exam, such as leadership potentialand values.

The average cost per student per year is $36,800 forthe 2012-2015 academic years; however, all studentsreceive nancial aid that covers more than half ofthe actual cost to study at EARTH.

The average annual fee charged for tuition, roomand board for the 2012-2015 academic years is

$17,263.


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For more information:

EARTH University

P.O. Box 4442-1000San Jos, Costa RicaTel. (506) 2713-0000Fax (506)2713-0001www.earth.ac.cr

EARTH University Foundation

Five Piedmont Center, Suite 2153525 Piedmont Road, NE

Atlanta, GA 30305-1509, USATel. (404) 995-1230Fax (404) 995-1240

E-mail: [email protected]

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