Kent Mc Leod, PhD (with Heiner Castillo M.Sc., Jane Yeomans PhD, Roger Castellón M.Sc., Daniel Herrera Ph.D.)
Description:
(Former title: Sustainability in Business, Natural Resource Management, and Community Development)
The course provides an overview of sustainability in the context of business, the management of natural resources and community development in the tropics. During the four week program students will experience firsthand sustainable practices and their impact on the environment, society and economy. This course will provide students with theoretical concepts and models with respect to sustainability as well as hands-on experience in the actual practice of sustainability. The first week will focus on basic concepts and will emphasize sustainability in the context of agriculture and natural resource management. During the second week, students will experience Spanish language immersion living in two different communities, including rural and indigenous areas. During this week students will be interacting with the community, having the opportunity to be immersed in Costa Rican culture and practicing the Spanish language. They will also learn about different sustainable strategies in the community development of rural areas. The objective of this activity is for the students to see firsthand how communities and social enterprises work together. The third week will provide the students with different methodologies for evaluating sustainability in the entrepreneurial and business sector and the assessment of its social and environmental impact. Finally, during the last week students will work with case studies to identify sustainable practices for natural resource management and will propose solutions to real world problems.
The emphasis in the course is to enable students to apply the concepts and lessons learned to other contexts and their own realities.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will be able to
Understand means to achieve sustainability.
Analyze the importance of community involvement in any endeavor.
Examine the main threats to sustainability.
Analyze the need for entrepreneurship and be able to apply some tools.
Understand the role of natural resources and the need to behave accordingly.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, seminar discussions, case studies, field trips and language immersion. The field study will be linked to the class work and readings. Students will receive an introduction prior to the field trips to the place, the purpose of each visit, and the objectives for the visit.
Students will be exposed to different sources of information about the core concepts to be studied, including lectures, readings, seminar discussions and field trips. These different elements will be the basis for a weekly reflection through which students will be encouraged to combine theoretical knowledge, their hands-on experiences and their personal reactions, thereby fostering a growing understanding of the concepts studied. Students will be briefed and provided with guided questions to help them get the most out of the field visits, and will be responsible for keeping a field journal of their observations. Together with the language immersion component in local communities, these experiences will assist the students in deepening their understanding of the topics explored, and will provide them with ample input towards the presentation of a final project. For the final project, students will work in groups on a specific case study. They will make a diagnostic analysis of the case and then design a structured strategy to create possible solutions or alternatives to the problem in question. It is not expected that a specific solution to the problem will be generated. Instead, the students are expected to identify the key components that are impacting more the sustainability of the system and the limitations and opportunities to modify, replace or even eliminate those components. Additional consideration will be given to the fact that the cases will be part of highly biologically diverse ecosystems and economically disadvantaged rural communities.
Required work and form of assessment:
REQUIRED WORK:
Students are required to:
Attend all lectures, field study, and related activities. Unexcused absences will result in a lowering of the final grade
Complete all the assignments and a field journal
Participate in a community home stay (language immersion)
Engage in all class discussions and assigned activities
Understand means to achieve sustainability.
FORM OF ASSESSMENT:
Class assignments and participation (40%)
Students will be assigned one assignment of 10% each week, consisting of either a short evaluation, a paper, or a short presentation.
Community project (10%)
As their community project, students will be exchanging experiences with local students as they develop a service learning project and teach the local students basic English.
Final Project Report (25%)
Students will be assigned a topic to work in within a group of students. They will research about the topic and write a final project report of at least 5 pages to turn in as a group.
Final Project presentation (15%)
Students are required to give an oral presentation of their Final Project Report. Students will have time in advance to work independently, in groups, and with tutors on their projects and presentations.
Field journal (10%)
Each week, program activities will expose students to various sources of information. The idea behind the journals is to provide students with a regular opportunity to reflect on these new experiences and “put it all together”. Students will be asked to complete a weekly written reflection, drawing from (and making concrete references to) the readings, lectures and field experiences from that week. The journal may contain specific information about their experiences, and students will also be provided with a set of guided questions for each field trip, in order to help focus their attention. However, the weekly reflection, which is the culmination of each week’s experiences, should go beyond a simple list of descriptive facts and superficial impressions. Students will be expected to integrate the observations and discoveries from their hands-on experiences with the academic concepts explored through the readings and lectures for that week, to come up with a personal reflection related to that week’s topic. These written reflections will be turned in and graded, but will also serve as a starting point for a weekly group discussion in which participants share their thoughts and conclusions with the other members of the group.
content:
Week 1 Introduction to Sustainability
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Sunday
Arrival to EARTH University and accommodations
Day 1
M
Morning
Welcoming to EARTH University
Course Expectations. Explanation of evaluation approach and assignment. Central Campus Tour
Prof. Nico Evers
Prof. Kent Mc Leod Pablo Ulloa
Afternoon
Lecture: Education and Sustainability
Prof. Edgar Alvarado EARTH University Dean
Day 2 T
Morning
Field trip: Visit to a commercial banana plantation
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Lecture: Sustainability in the Tropics
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 3 W
Morning
Field activity: EARTH University in the context to sustainability (Work Experience Tour)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Field trip: Visit Banana Plantations (Chiquita)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 4 Th
All day
Field trip: Large scale farms (Sustainability and Social Responsibility). Visit Organic Pineapple Farm (Corsicana)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 5 F
Morning
Field trip: Visit Integrated farm
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Lecture 1: Discussion about Sustainability readings
Lecture 2: Community life experience: what to expect
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Reflection Session
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
Morning
Field activity: Work Experience
Work Experience coordinator
Afternoon
Free time
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
During the first week, the students will be introduced to the basic concepts and principles that are needed to assess the sustainability of natural ecosystems and agro-ecosystems. Also, several agro-ecosystems will be visited and used as study-cases to analyze the tradeoffs that are part of the use of natural resources through production activities such as agriculture for satisfying society’s demands. Finally, the students will propose and discuss alternative solutions to the tradeoffs and strategies to deal with them emphasizing environmental stewardship, productivity and social wellbeing.
Assignments:
The students will be given detailed questionnaires for the field trips. These questionnaires are intended to help the student to have a productive field visit, gather information that will be used for the final project and to integrate in practical terms the information provided in the readings and discussed in the lectures.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Crews, T.E., C.L. Mohler and A. G. Power. 1991. Energetics and ecosystem integrity: The defining principles of sustainable agriculture. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 6:146-149.
Daly, H.E. 1990. Toward some operational principles of sustainable development. Ecological Economics 2:1-6.
Pretty, J. 2008. Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363:447-465.
Week 2 Community Experience (Home stay and Spanish Immersion)
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Field trip: Visit community 1 (La Argentina, Limón)
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: “Sustainable alternatives for rural areas: Community-based tourism”
Community Project logistics
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Day 2 T
Morning
Field activity: Service learning project at the schools
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: Community Development Program
Day 3 W
Morning
Field activity: Work Experience in communities with EARTH students
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Time to spend with host family at the community
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Day 4 TH
Morning
Field trip: Travel to Community 2 (Talamanca, Limón)
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: Rural tourism as a sustainable development strategy for vulnerable groups
Day 5
F
Morning
Field activity: Service learning project at Talamanca
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Travel to Cahuita, Limón
Workshop: Discussion about sustainability in the community development of rural areas: learned lessons. Reflection session.
Prof. Heiner Castillo (Prof. Kent Mc Leod)
Day 6 S
Morning
Visit Cahuita National Park
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Travel to EARTH University
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
Details of community visits:
During the first part of the week, students will be hosted by families in an agro-ecotouristic project in a rural community with a strong participation of women in tourist activities and decision making. They will explore the linkages between an ecological community and their local school. They will be exchanging experiences with local students as they develop a service learning project (teaching English).
Students will also learn about the Community Development Program developed by EARTH University. This program fosters a systematic exchange between EARTH and the neighboring communities, thereby developing student´s social conscience.
By the end of the week, students will visit another community. This is an indigenous community in the forests of Talamanca, which produces organic cocoa, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products. Students will be immersed in the indigenous culture and share experience with the Stibrawpa women’s group. They will be able to understand the challenges and opportunities for Bri Bri indigenous group, including ecotourism and agricultural production. To finalize this week, students will visit Cahuita National Park.
Assignments:
Students will be asked to write two essays taking into consideration what they have learned during the field visits as well as classroom sessions.
They will also be required to ask a series of questions and prepare a field report about the work experience.
REQUIRED READINGS:
de Beer, F. and M. Marais. 2005. Rural communities, the natural environment and development – some challenges, some successes. Community Development Journal 40:50-61.
Horton, L. R. 2009. Buying Up Nature Economic and Social Impacts of Costa Rica's Ecotourism Boom. Latin American Perspectives 36:93-107.
Matarrita-Cascante, D. 2010. BEYOND GROWTH: Reaching Tourism-Led Development. Annals of Tourism Research 37:1141-1163.
Scheyvens, R. 1999. Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism Management 20:245-249.
Scoones, I. 2009. Livelihoods perspectives and rural development. Journal of Peasant Studies 36:171-196.
Trejos, B. and L.-H. N. Chiang. 2009. Local economic linkages to community-based tourism in rural Costa Rica. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 30:373-387.
Wearing, S. and J. Neil. 2009. Ecotourism: A Model for Sustainable Development? Pages 213-228. Ecotourism (Second Edition). Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Week 3 Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Enterprises
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Lecture 1: “Methods and Tools for Decision Making under Agro Environmental Approach” Lecture 2: “Conceptual Methodologies in Agro- environmental systems”
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Lecture 1: Computer Lab. Solving basic problems under economic and financial point of view using Excel. Examples of several crops like rice and coffee. Cost benefits analysis.
Day 2 T
Morning
Lecture: EARTH´s entrepreneurial model. How does it work. Lessons learned.
Field trip: Visit EARTH Student´s enterprises
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Field trip: Visit EARTH´s Organic Banana plantation
Day 3 W
Morning
Lecture: Identification of the short and long term effects of the business in relation with environmental issues. Climatic Change and its effects.
Team Work. Strategic Focus: Education, agro environmental market, water, land use and others.
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Workshop: Selection and classification of agro environmental business plans by using the Progressive Filters Method.
Prof. Roger Castellón
Day 4 TH
Morning
Field trip: Visit examples at EARTH campus of waste treatment options for small communities and businesses
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Workshop: “Matrix analyses of waste problems and solutions”
Day 5 F
Morning
Lecture: “Solid Waste Analysis Protocol at EARTH University”
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Reflection Session
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
All day
Free time
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
Assignments:
Students will be asked to develop a proposal of an evaluation model that includes the weights of variables such as production techniques, market variables, Economic and Financial variables and Social-Environmental variables. At the end of the week they will also be working in case studies. They will be asked to select businesses where they live and develop a matrix outlining the businesses environmental and sustainability aspects, as perceived by the students. The matrix will provide values that will help the students determine the most important business in their area. The students will then develop a second matrix concerning important environmental problems associated with this business. Each team will present their work to the other teams, using the “puzzle” organization.
REQUIRED READINGS:
William E. Halal. Socio Economic Model of the Corporation. A Proposal. George Washington University.
Calvin W. Rose. Samuel, Adiku. Conceptual Methodologies in Agroenvironmental systems. Griffith University. Australia.
Ervin David E.; Casey, Frank. Green Business Rising: Market-based environmental initiatives may be an idea whose time has arrived - Private Agro-Environmental Management - Statistical Data Included.
NZME (Ministry for the Environment, NZ). 2002. Solid Waste Analysis Protocol (SWAP). Ministry for the Environment, Wellington, NZ. 73 p. [Available on line at: www.mfe.govt.nz].
USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1994. Composting of yard trimmings and municipal solid waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA530-R-94-003. 151 p.
Week 4 Waste management and Natural Recourses
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Field trip: Examine the waste management practices at a restaurant, school and business
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Return to campus
Day 2 T
Morning
Lecture: EARTH´s landfills and system design
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Workshop: Management plans for wetlands
Lecture: General information about Biodigestors and Community Development Program
Mr. Luis Carazo
Day 3 W
Morning
Field Activity: Biodigestor installation
Mr. Luis Carazo
Afternoon
Project Assignment
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 4 TH
All day
Workshop: Students will have time to work independently, in groups, and with tutors on their projects and presentations
Day 5 F
All day
Final Project presentation and evaluation
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
Morning
Departure to San José
Assignments:
The students will visit several sites were they will be required to ask a series of questions and prepare a report. They will also work in teams and present their findings to the group.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991a. Chapter 3: Wastewater characteristics. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 47-119.
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991b. Chapter 4: Wastewater treatment objectives, methods, and implementation considerations. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 121-146. [.
Apotheker, S. 1991. Volume-to-weight factors: Recycling’s manifest density. Resource Recycling (November) p. 69-71.
Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J.G. Wetlands. 2000. Third edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 920 p. ISBN 0-471-29232-X.
USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Organic Materials Management Strategies. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA530-R-99-016. 58 p.
Required readings:
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991a. Chapter 3: Wastewater characteristics. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 47-119.
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991b. Chapter 4: Wastewater treatment objectives, methods, and implementation considerations. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 121-146. [.
Apotheker, S. 1991. Volume-to-weight factors: Recycling’s manifest density. Resource Recycling (November) p. 69-71.
Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J.G. Wetlands. 2000. Third edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 920 p. ISBN 0-471-29232-X.
USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Organic Materials Management Strategies. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA530-R-99-016. 58 p.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Kent D. Mc Leod, PhD, USA – Leading instructor
Kent is responsible for the first-year English courses. He holds a Ph.D. in English as a Second Language and Multicultural Education from Texas A&M University as well as a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Columbia University and another in Teaching from Rice University. With more than 18 years of teaching English to non-native English speakers, he has most recently worked as the Listening-Speaking Coordinator at The University of Texas at Arlington English Language Institute and as a Lecturer at the English Language Institute at Texas A&M University. As part of his philosophy of teaching, Kent believes that one of the most important goals of education is to prepare individuals who have the skills necessary for leading productive lives and who can think for themselves and thereby contribute to society.
Heiner Castillo M.Sc., Costa Rica - Instructor
Heiner Castillo has a background in agronomy, graduated from the University of Costa Rica. He completed his MSc. degree in Rural Development. During his researches, he has worked with farmers in rural areas of Costa Rica, evaluating the socioeconomic impact analysis of new agricultural technologies. Heiner has worked at multinational companies as R&D responsible, and as a consultant for CATIE (Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) where helped in different projects to analyze social and economic impacts as well as to lead training processes for farmers. His professional experience has been mostly developed on the organic agriculture and the application of sustainable practices in agriculture as well as education and training with over 12 years experience. He has facilitated teaching in different sceneries that include the multinational agrochemical sector, organic agricultural practices and specially different kind of people like High school and University students, interns, farmers, technicians and others. Currently, Heiner is the Academic Administrator at EARTH University with responsibilities as administrative manager of farms, laboratories and all different facilities that allow the academic program to run properly, while continue to lead the Organic Production Systems at EARTH.
Jane Yeomans PhD, Canada – Instructor
Professor Yeomans is a technical research associate who works directly with the research coordinator. She is a visiting professor who teaches two courses in fourth year, Development of Research Proposals and Integrated Waste Management and two elective courses, also in fourth year, Physics and Global Seminar. Her areas of interest include wastewater management and sustainable crop production using biofertilizers. She received her Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from Iowa State University.
Roger Castellón M.Sc., Costa Rica – Instructor
Professor Castellón is Professor of Business Projects. He is currently Head of the Accounting module which is taught for 4 Groups of Second Level. Prior to teach at EARTH University he was working as Investment Officer for Root Capital (Cambridge, Massachusetts). He has been International Consultant for various Projects and Development Programs for nearly 20 years in 12 countries in Latin America. He graduated from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica in Agricultural Business Management and obtained his Master Degree in Agribusiness at Southern Illinois University (Chicago). He has been also Professor for Masters and Graduate Programs in several universities and specialized institutes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Daniel Herrera PhD, Costa Rica, - Instructor
Daniel Herrera graduated from EARTH University in 1997 as an agronomist. He worked in agricultural and academic activities four years after his BS and in 2001 started his M.Sc. at the University of Florida where he also finished his PhD in 2007. His concentration is in Soil Science with a minor in animal nutrition. Since 2006, Mr. Herrera has been teaching at EARTH University as a visiting professor a class in animal nutrition with emphasis in soil and forage maintenance and production. He also teaches in EARTH´s International Programs a class in sustainable agriculture. He works mainly as a consultant in the areas of soil fertility and plant nutrition for several agricultural companies producing mainly citrus, dairy, pineapple and bananas. Personally co-owns an organic pineapple farm that exports to Europe and his family has a dairy farm in San Carlos where he lives.
Sustainable Development: Integrating Community, Entrepreneurship, And Natural Resources
(Former title: Sustainability in Business, Natural Resource Management, and Community Development)
The course provides an overview of sustainability in the context of business, the management of natural resources and community development in the tropics. During the four week program students will experience firsthand sustainable practices and their impact on the environment, society and economy. This course will provide students with theoretical concepts and models with respect to sustainability as well as hands-on experience in the actual practice of sustainability. The first week will focus on basic concepts and will emphasize sustainability in the context of agriculture and natural resource management. During the second week, students will experience Spanish language immersion living in two different communities, including rural and indigenous areas. During this week students will be interacting with the community, having the opportunity to be immersed in Costa Rican culture and practicing the Spanish language. They will also learn about different sustainable strategies in the community development of rural areas. The objective of this activity is for the students to see firsthand how communities and social enterprises work together. The third week will provide the students with different methodologies for evaluating sustainability in the entrepreneurial and business sector and the assessment of its social and environmental impact. Finally, during the last week students will work with case studies to identify sustainable practices for natural resource management and will propose solutions to real world problems.
The emphasis in the course is to enable students to apply the concepts and lessons learned to other contexts and their own realities.
At the end of this course, students will be able to
Lectures, seminar discussions, case studies, field trips and language immersion. The field study will be linked to the class work and readings. Students will receive an introduction prior to the field trips to the place, the purpose of each visit, and the objectives for the visit.
Students will be exposed to different sources of information about the core concepts to be studied, including lectures, readings, seminar discussions and field trips. These different elements will be the basis for a weekly reflection through which students will be encouraged to combine theoretical knowledge, their hands-on experiences and their personal reactions, thereby fostering a growing understanding of the concepts studied. Students will be briefed and provided with guided questions to help them get the most out of the field visits, and will be responsible for keeping a field journal of their observations. Together with the language immersion component in local communities, these experiences will assist the students in deepening their understanding of the topics explored, and will provide them with ample input towards the presentation of a final project. For the final project, students will work in groups on a specific case study. They will make a diagnostic analysis of the case and then design a structured strategy to create possible solutions or alternatives to the problem in question. It is not expected that a specific solution to the problem will be generated. Instead, the students are expected to identify the key components that are impacting more the sustainability of the system and the limitations and opportunities to modify, replace or even eliminate those components. Additional consideration will be given to the fact that the cases will be part of highly biologically diverse ecosystems and economically disadvantaged rural communities.
REQUIRED WORK:
Students are required to:
FORM OF ASSESSMENT:
Class assignments and participation (40%)
Students will be assigned one assignment of 10% each week, consisting of either a short evaluation, a paper, or a short presentation.
Community project (10%)
As their community project, students will be exchanging experiences with local students as they develop a service learning project and teach the local students basic English.
Final Project Report (25%)
Students will be assigned a topic to work in within a group of students. They will research about the topic and write a final project report of at least 5 pages to turn in as a group.
Final Project presentation (15%)
Students are required to give an oral presentation of their Final Project Report. Students will have time in advance to work independently, in groups, and with tutors on their projects and presentations.
Field journal (10%)
Each week, program activities will expose students to various sources of information. The idea behind the journals is to provide students with a regular opportunity to reflect on these new experiences and “put it all together”. Students will be asked to complete a weekly written reflection, drawing from (and making concrete references to) the readings, lectures and field experiences from that week. The journal may contain specific information about their experiences, and students will also be provided with a set of guided questions for each field trip, in order to help focus their attention. However, the weekly reflection, which is the culmination of each week’s experiences, should go beyond a simple list of descriptive facts and superficial impressions. Students will be expected to integrate the observations and discoveries from their hands-on experiences with the academic concepts explored through the readings and lectures for that week, to come up with a personal reflection related to that week’s topic. These written reflections will be turned in and graded, but will also serve as a starting point for a weekly group discussion in which participants share their thoughts and conclusions with the other members of the group.
Week 1 Introduction to Sustainability
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Sunday
Arrival to EARTH University and accommodations
Day 1
M
Morning
Welcoming to EARTH University
Course Expectations. Explanation of evaluation approach and assignment. Central Campus Tour
Prof. Nico Evers
Prof. Kent Mc Leod Pablo Ulloa
Afternoon
Lecture: Education and Sustainability
Prof. Edgar Alvarado EARTH University Dean
Day 2 T
Morning
Field trip: Visit to a commercial banana plantation
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Lecture: Sustainability in the Tropics
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 3 W
Morning
Field activity: EARTH University in the context to sustainability (Work Experience Tour)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Field trip: Visit Banana Plantations (Chiquita)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 4 Th
All day
Field trip: Large scale farms (Sustainability and Social Responsibility). Visit Organic Pineapple Farm (Corsicana)
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Day 5 F
Morning
Field trip: Visit Integrated farm
Prof. Daniel Herrera
Afternoon
Lecture 1: Discussion about Sustainability readings
Lecture 2: Community life experience: what to expect
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Reflection Session
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
Morning
Field activity: Work Experience
Work Experience coordinator
Afternoon
Free time
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
During the first week, the students will be introduced to the basic concepts and principles that are needed to assess the sustainability of natural ecosystems and agro-ecosystems. Also, several agro-ecosystems will be visited and used as study-cases to analyze the tradeoffs that are part of the use of natural resources through production activities such as agriculture for satisfying society’s demands. Finally, the students will propose and discuss alternative solutions to the tradeoffs and strategies to deal with them emphasizing environmental stewardship, productivity and social wellbeing.
Assignments:
The students will be given detailed questionnaires for the field trips. These questionnaires are intended to help the student to have a productive field visit, gather information that will be used for the final project and to integrate in practical terms the information provided in the readings and discussed in the lectures.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Crews, T.E., C.L. Mohler and A. G. Power. 1991. Energetics and ecosystem integrity: The defining principles of sustainable agriculture. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 6:146-149.
Daly, H.E. 1990. Toward some operational principles of sustainable development. Ecological Economics 2:1-6.
Pretty, J. 2008. Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363:447-465.
Week 2 Community Experience (Home stay and Spanish Immersion)
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Field trip: Visit community 1 (La Argentina, Limón)
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: “Sustainable alternatives for rural areas: Community-based tourism”
Community Project logistics
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Day 2 T
Morning
Field activity: Service learning project at the schools
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: Community Development Program
Day 3 W
Morning
Field activity: Work Experience in communities with EARTH students
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Time to spend with host family at the community
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Day 4 TH
Morning
Field trip: Travel to Community 2 (Talamanca, Limón)
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Lecture: Rural tourism as a sustainable development strategy for vulnerable groups
Day 5
F
Morning
Field activity: Service learning project at Talamanca
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Travel to Cahuita, Limón
Workshop: Discussion about sustainability in the community development of rural areas: learned lessons. Reflection session.
Prof. Heiner Castillo (Prof. Kent Mc Leod)
Day 6 S
Morning
Visit Cahuita National Park
Prof. Heiner Castillo
Afternoon
Travel to EARTH University
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
Details of community visits:
During the first part of the week, students will be hosted by families in an agro-ecotouristic project in a rural community with a strong participation of women in tourist activities and decision making. They will explore the linkages between an ecological community and their local school. They will be exchanging experiences with local students as they develop a service learning project (teaching English).
Students will also learn about the Community Development Program developed by EARTH University. This program fosters a systematic exchange between EARTH and the neighboring communities, thereby developing student´s social conscience.
By the end of the week, students will visit another community. This is an indigenous community in the forests of Talamanca, which produces organic cocoa, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products. Students will be immersed in the indigenous culture and share experience with the Stibrawpa women’s group. They will be able to understand the challenges and opportunities for Bri Bri indigenous group, including ecotourism and agricultural production. To finalize this week, students will visit Cahuita National Park.
Assignments:
Students will be asked to write two essays taking into consideration what they have learned during the field visits as well as classroom sessions.
They will also be required to ask a series of questions and prepare a field report about the work experience.
REQUIRED READINGS:
de Beer, F. and M. Marais. 2005. Rural communities, the natural environment and development – some challenges, some successes. Community Development Journal 40:50-61.
Horton, L. R. 2009. Buying Up Nature Economic and Social Impacts of Costa Rica's Ecotourism Boom. Latin American Perspectives 36:93-107.
Matarrita-Cascante, D. 2010. BEYOND GROWTH: Reaching Tourism-Led Development. Annals of Tourism Research 37:1141-1163.
Scheyvens, R. 1999. Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism Management 20:245-249.
Scoones, I. 2009. Livelihoods perspectives and rural development. Journal of Peasant Studies 36:171-196.
Trejos, B. and L.-H. N. Chiang. 2009. Local economic linkages to community-based tourism in rural Costa Rica. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 30:373-387.
Wearing, S. and J. Neil. 2009. Ecotourism: A Model for Sustainable Development? Pages 213-228. Ecotourism (Second Edition). Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Week 3 Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Enterprises
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Lecture 1: “Methods and Tools for Decision Making under Agro Environmental Approach” Lecture 2: “Conceptual Methodologies in Agro- environmental systems”
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Lecture 1: Computer Lab. Solving basic problems under economic and financial point of view using Excel. Examples of several crops like rice and coffee. Cost benefits analysis.
Day 2 T
Morning
Lecture: EARTH´s entrepreneurial model. How does it work. Lessons learned.
Field trip: Visit EARTH Student´s enterprises
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Field trip: Visit EARTH´s Organic Banana plantation
Day 3 W
Morning
Lecture: Identification of the short and long term effects of the business in relation with environmental issues. Climatic Change and its effects.
Team Work. Strategic Focus: Education, agro environmental market, water, land use and others.
Prof. Roger Castellón
Afternoon
Workshop: Selection and classification of agro environmental business plans by using the Progressive Filters Method.
Prof. Roger Castellón
Day 4 TH
Morning
Field trip: Visit examples at EARTH campus of waste treatment options for small communities and businesses
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Workshop: “Matrix analyses of waste problems and solutions”
Day 5 F
Morning
Lecture: “Solid Waste Analysis Protocol at EARTH University”
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Reflection Session
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
All day
Free time
Day 7 Su
All day
Free time
Assignments:
Students will be asked to develop a proposal of an evaluation model that includes the weights of variables such as production techniques, market variables, Economic and Financial variables and Social-Environmental variables. At the end of the week they will also be working in case studies. They will be asked to select businesses where they live and develop a matrix outlining the businesses environmental and sustainability aspects, as perceived by the students. The matrix will provide values that will help the students determine the most important business in their area. The students will then develop a second matrix concerning important environmental problems associated with this business. Each team will present their work to the other teams, using the “puzzle” organization.
REQUIRED READINGS:
William E. Halal. Socio Economic Model of the Corporation. A Proposal. George Washington University.
Calvin W. Rose. Samuel, Adiku. Conceptual Methodologies in Agroenvironmental systems. Griffith University. Australia.
Ervin David E.; Casey, Frank. Green Business Rising: Market-based environmental initiatives may be an idea whose time has arrived - Private Agro-Environmental Management - Statistical Data Included.
NZME (Ministry for the Environment, NZ). 2002. Solid Waste Analysis Protocol (SWAP). Ministry for the Environment, Wellington, NZ. 73 p. [Available on line at: www.mfe.govt.nz].
USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1994. Composting of yard trimmings and municipal solid waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA530-R-94-003. 151 p.
Week 4 Waste management and Natural Recourses
Session
Activity
Lecturer
Day 1 M
Morning
Field trip: Examine the waste management practices at a restaurant, school and business
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Return to campus
Day 2 T
Morning
Lecture: EARTH´s landfills and system design
Prof. Jane Yeomans
Afternoon
Workshop: Management plans for wetlands
Lecture: General information about Biodigestors and Community Development Program
Mr. Luis Carazo
Day 3 W
Morning
Field Activity: Biodigestor installation
Mr. Luis Carazo
Afternoon
Project Assignment
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 4 TH
All day
Workshop: Students will have time to work independently, in groups, and with tutors on their projects and presentations
Day 5 F
All day
Final Project presentation and evaluation
Prof. Kent Mc Leod
Day 6 S
Morning
Departure to San José
Assignments:
The students will visit several sites were they will be required to ask a series of questions and prepare a report. They will also work in teams and present their findings to the group.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991a. Chapter 3: Wastewater characteristics. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 47-119.
Tchobanoglous, G; Burton, L. 1991b. Chapter 4: Wastewater treatment objectives, methods, and implementation considerations. In: Wastewater Engineering. Metcalf & Hedí, Inc. 2nd ed. Irwin/McGraw Hill, US. p. 121-146. [.
Apotheker, S. 1991. Volume-to-weight factors: Recycling’s manifest density. Resource Recycling (November) p. 69-71.
Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J.G. Wetlands. 2000. Third edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 920 p. ISBN 0-471-29232-X.
USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Organic Materials Management Strategies. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. EPA530-R-99-016. 58 p.
Kent D. Mc Leod, PhD, USA – Leading instructor
Kent is responsible for the first-year English courses. He holds a Ph.D. in English as a Second Language and Multicultural Education from Texas A&M University as well as a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Columbia University and another in Teaching from Rice University. With more than 18 years of teaching English to non-native English speakers, he has most recently worked as the Listening-Speaking Coordinator at The University of Texas at Arlington English Language Institute and as a Lecturer at the English Language Institute at Texas A&M University. As part of his philosophy of teaching, Kent believes that one of the most important goals of education is to prepare individuals who have the skills necessary for leading productive lives and who can think for themselves and thereby contribute to society.
Heiner Castillo M.Sc., Costa Rica - Instructor
Heiner Castillo has a background in agronomy, graduated from the University of Costa Rica. He completed his MSc. degree in Rural Development. During his researches, he has worked with farmers in rural areas of Costa Rica, evaluating the socioeconomic impact analysis of new agricultural technologies. Heiner has worked at multinational companies as R&D responsible, and as a consultant for CATIE (Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) where helped in different projects to analyze social and economic impacts as well as to lead training processes for farmers. His professional experience has been mostly developed on the organic agriculture and the application of sustainable practices in agriculture as well as education and training with over 12 years experience. He has facilitated teaching in different sceneries that include the multinational agrochemical sector, organic agricultural practices and specially different kind of people like High school and University students, interns, farmers, technicians and others. Currently, Heiner is the Academic Administrator at EARTH University with responsibilities as administrative manager of farms, laboratories and all different facilities that allow the academic program to run properly, while continue to lead the Organic Production Systems at EARTH.
Jane Yeomans PhD, Canada – Instructor
Professor Yeomans is a technical research associate who works directly with the research coordinator. She is a visiting professor who teaches two courses in fourth year, Development of Research Proposals and Integrated Waste Management and two elective courses, also in fourth year, Physics and Global Seminar. Her areas of interest include wastewater management and sustainable crop production using biofertilizers. She received her Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from Iowa State University.
Roger Castellón M.Sc., Costa Rica – Instructor
Professor Castellón is Professor of Business Projects. He is currently Head of the Accounting module which is taught for 4 Groups of Second Level. Prior to teach at EARTH University he was working as Investment Officer for Root Capital (Cambridge, Massachusetts). He has been International Consultant for various Projects and Development Programs for nearly 20 years in 12 countries in Latin America. He graduated from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica in Agricultural Business Management and obtained his Master Degree in Agribusiness at Southern Illinois University (Chicago). He has been also Professor for Masters and Graduate Programs in several universities and specialized institutes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Daniel Herrera PhD, Costa Rica, - Instructor
Daniel Herrera graduated from EARTH University in 1997 as an agronomist. He worked in agricultural and academic activities four years after his BS and in 2001 started his M.Sc. at the University of Florida where he also finished his PhD in 2007. His concentration is in Soil Science with a minor in animal nutrition. Since 2006, Mr. Herrera has been teaching at EARTH University as a visiting professor a class in animal nutrition with emphasis in soil and forage maintenance and production. He also teaches in EARTH´s International Programs a class in sustainable agriculture. He works mainly as a consultant in the areas of soil fertility and plant nutrition for several agricultural companies producing mainly citrus, dairy, pineapple and bananas. Personally co-owns an organic pineapple farm that exports to Europe and his family has a dairy farm in San Carlos where he lives.