HRN Community Sessions
Earth University
In the middle of the tropical rainforest in Limon, Costa Rica, lies Earth University. A 4 yr private undergraduate university, Earth offers one degree, agroengineering.
The students at Earth come from around the world. Many of them are targeted because they come from impoverished areas where they would be unable to receive college-level educations. 60% of the students are accepted with full scholarships. Spanish is the only language spoken in classrooms, and students who arrive from non-Spanish speaking countries are put into full language immersion for two months before the semester begins. At earth, the students are required to start their own businesses that promote sustainable agriculture. Many of the students learn organic farming practices and they experiment with new methods in composting and energy conversion. By the time they graduate, they are equipped with entrepreneurial skills that they then apply when back in their native countries.