One day in the EARTH University is a day of learning and working in harmony with the environment
EARTH is located in the humid tropic of Costa Rica. It is a private non-profit institution, dedicated to the teaching of agricultural sciences and natural resources contributing to the development of the tropics by reconciling the needs for agricultural production with preservation of the environment.
EARTH was created in 1990, in a campus of 3300 hectares in the Atlantic area of Costa Rica, under an educational pattern that is based on four pillars:
- Human Values
- Social and Environmental Awareness
- Business Relationships
- Technical and Scientific Knowledge
These are the different educational tours that EARTH offers
- .THE BANANA TREE TOUR
This tour is integrated into three modules that will allow you to know in detail the processing of the bananas trom the plantation, the packing for exportation and the handling of the waste fiber as primary material for the manufacturing of banana paper.
Plantations
An area of 262 cultivated hectares and in continuous production, you will see the different processes including how the plants are supported during their growth and methods of transporting the fruits for processing.
Process and Packing:
You will be able to visit the export packing facilities: you will be able to observe the fruit, the cropping process, and the different sanitary and quality control stages that the bananas undergo before being packed and transported.
Natural Fiber Processing plants
In this module you will be able to observe the pinzote handling (banana tree rachis with fibrous characteristic) and the different treatments for the production of handmade quality paper.
The final product is environmentally friendly
and chemically free.
- The tour includes:
- guides
- Institutional video
- visit to the Souvenir store of "The Oropéndula"
Duration 4 hours approximately
- ORGANIC TOUR
This tour takes place in an organic integrated farm named after
"
José Elías Sánchez" that was created in 1996 as a didactic unit for the academical program of EARTH. You will have the opportunity to visit three different modules:
Livestock, Tropical Cultivation, and Recycling
In the Livestock module you will be able to interact with goats, buffalos, birds and pigs. Within tropical cultivation you will be able to learn about short cycle cultivations, perennial cultivations and the banana tree. You will learn about "biodigestors" , "biofermentos" and efficient microorganisms.
- The tour includes:
- guides
- Institutional video
- visits to the Souvenir store " The Oropéndula"
Duration 2 hours approximately
- BIODIVERSITY TOUR
In the Forest Reservation "Escalera del Mono" you can enjoy walks in the primary and secondary forest where there are more than 150 species of birds, 3 species of monkeys and over 100 species of insects. You'll see the Ceiba tree, considered the biggest tree in Costa Rica.
- The tour includes:
- guides
- Institutional video
- visits to the Souvenir store "The Oropéndula"
- Bird observation Tour: EARTH Birding
Offers bilingual guides
Institutional video
Visit to souvenir store "The Oropéndula"
- OTHER TOURS OFFERED:
- INTEGRATED CATTLE SYSTEMS : For the rescue of and constant search for innovative technologies for the rational and efficient administration of resources
- ECOLOGIA TOUR: EARTH has two gardens full of exotic beauty:
- Botanical garden of Orquideología (500 species of orchids of the humid tropical area)
- Garden Etnobotanico affiliated with a network of gardens throughout Latin America, and has great variety of medicinal plants.
These projects have been created in rural areas
for the benefit of their inhabitants.
Costa Rica Rural Travel
Earth University
PO Box 2535-3000 Heredia, Costa Rica
(506) 237-3400 from USA / (506) 262-1891 fax
