Costa Rica (including Nicaragua and Panama in 2012)
Put eco in front of just about anything (eco-firendly, eco-tourism, eco-systems, etc.) and you have the focus of our trip. The importance of figuring out ways of dealing with the eco-dangers that confront this planet is undeniable. Our eco-studies will take us to a coffee plantation, active volcanoe, national parks on the Caribbean and Pacific oceans, rural and urban Costa Rica. On these excursion we will encounter diverse and exotic animals in their natural habitats and meet local Ticos from all walks of life. While the coffee industry is important, so to will be our look at the fruit industry and its past, as well as various eco-tourism industries such as zip-lining (canopy tours) and river-rafting. Students will see firsthand the possibilities of study and work in ecological fields when they are exposed to this geographic flash point between economic exploitation and eco-sustainability.