May 2008 / NBC Nightly News feature; "Learning Sustainability at EARTH University"

EARTH University receives news coverage on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams for its unique approach to teaching sustainability.

December 2007 / Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Speaks at 15th Graduation

Muhammad Yunus thanks Oscar Arias for all he has done for Costa Rica; Yunus explains his inspiration to start the Grameen Bank; Yunus examines views about poverty and how each individual is like a bonsai tree; Yunus discusses how society is responsible for allowing each individual to find their gift and challenges EARTH students to do so;

December 2007 / President Oscar Arias Speaks at 15th Graduation -excerpt

"Dear young people, many of you have heard the famous phrase dedicated to us by the ex-president of Uruguay, Julio María Sanguinetti: “Wherever there is a Costa Rican, no matter where, there is liberty.” I don’t think I exaggerate when I tell you that wherever there is an EARTH graduate, no matter where, there will be hope, hope for peace. In 1989, the first stone of this university was laid, but the first stone of the construction of a more just, cleaner and greener planet was also laid. Today, you all leave here to place your own first stone in some part of the world. I ask that you please use that stone to build the foundation of a future museum: the foundation of the museum of poverty; the foundation of the museum of preventable disease; the foundation of the museum of intolerance; the foundation of the museum of ignorance.

I would like to leave you with the words once written by the poet Rabindranath Tagore:

“Don’t allow me to pray for refuge from danger, rather to not fear danger when I confront it. Don’t allow me to beg for my pain to be alleviated, rather for the heart to conquer my pain. Don’t allow me to seek alliances in the battlefield of life, rather to seek my own strength. Don’t allow me to flee.”

My brave young people, don’t allow yourselves to flee. Before you are your paths, and before you are also footsteps. Dare to walk your path."

September 2007 / EARTH Declares its Carbon Neutrality

Carbon Neutral EARTH University has acknowledged the global impact that CO₂ has on the climate and made a public commitment to offer a sustainable solution to this problem. After a University-funded study, EARTH declared its carbon neutrality. The study demonstrated that from its three installations -- the campus in Guácimo, the EARTH-La Flor campus in Guanacaste; and the EARTH University Foundation office in Atlanta -- EARTH emits 1,154 tons of carbon dioxide annually. To compensate for its CO₂ emissions, EARTH studied its carbon mitigation and sequestration sources such as its forests, banana, oil palm, and heart of palm plantations, and other crop and livestock production systems. The results demonstrate the environmental benefit of these activities, allowing EARTH to capture 4,448 tons of carbon annually, equaling 16,324 tons of CO₂ annually. The University thus captures 15,170 tons more CO₂ annually than it emits. “Becoming neutral in carbon emissions further strengthens our commitment to sustainability,” said EARTH University President Dr. José Zaglul.

“This achievement compliments our reforestation and environmental conservation efforts, as well as our research program and the development of sustainable agricultural production practices.”

February 2009 / Students participate in 2009 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU)

Third-year student Claudio Castro and second-year student David Steiger represented EARTH at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) meeting, organized by the William J. Clinton Foundation at the University of Texas in Austin. This activity aimed to create and implement action commitments that generate change in five areas of global interest: education, energy and climate change, health, peace and human rights and poverty.

EARTH encouraged the participation of our students in this meeting. Those interested had to develop a proposal on how a university student can make a small-scale change that later could be replicated globally. The winning project, developed by Claudio and David with the help of the student agro-ecology club, focused on the topic of food security and proposed planting fruit trees on campus to increase the University’s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency. This initiative, which was presented to the CGIU 2009, is currently being considered by the Institution. The agro-ecology club together with the Student Council and Faculty and staff, are working on implementing actions that enable us to increase the production of our own food, becoming an example of self-sufficiency. “Self-sufficiency is a reflection of the operational efficiency that the University can achieve,” noted Claudio.

EARTH also recently had a group of six students participate in a model United Nations session titled, “Paths to a Culture of Peace,” organized by the University of Peace. During the session, the participants discussed issues related to global economic security, criminal responsibility and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and responsibility and intervention in natural disasters.

April 2008 / EARTH Graduates recognized as 2008 National Geographic Society Emerging Explorers

In February, EARTH University graduates, Cid Simðes (1998) and Paola Segura (2001), were named to the 2008 Class of Emerging Explorers who, “push the boundaries of discovery, adventure and global-problem solving.” In April, they traveled to Washington, D.C. for National Geographic Society’s annual Explorers Symposium. With many supporters of EARTH in attendance, Cid and Paola made an impressive presentation to a large audience gathered in Explorers Hall on their innovative business projects aimed at helping rural farmers in the Brazilian Amazon achieve agri-business livelihoods off the land while preventing their traditional slash and burn deforestation farming necessary for survival. As a result of this opportunity and recognition, many more people now know about the important work Cid and Paola are doing and why they were chosen as Sustainable Agriculture and Development experts. This lovely couple readily attributes their success to the education received at EARTH University. Subsequently, they were interviewed on CNN Espanol about their recognition and work in Brazil.

December 2007 / Graduate Receives Award

Graduate Receives Award Paulo Adolfo Reyes, EARTH Graduate from the class of 1997, was recently awarded a $10,000 prize in Nicaragua’s Idea tu Empresa ("Invent Your Business”) National Entrepreneurial Competition whereby individuals submit business proposals for review. The prize allows the winner to implement his/her business plan. With over 118 proposals, seven winners were selected. The competition was sponsored by Technoserve and supported by USAID, Cargill, BanPro, the Nicaraguan Government and private institutions.

September 2007 / Graduates Giving Back

Graduates Giving Back To strengthen EARTH’s relationship with its graduates, the institution initiated its first fundraising effort directed at alumni - the “Children of the Earth” campaign. The response to this campaign has been extremely positive with 255 graduates already expressing their commitment to contribute. As of October, EARTH had received donations from graduates from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Spain and every Central American country. Three graduates have stepped up to make significant contributions. Osael Maroto from Costa Rica, class of 1994, made a commitment to provide a matching gift equal to the funds raised through the campaign for a maximum contribution of $7,075 - equivalent to a half-scholarship. Teofilo Cuesta from Colombia, class of 1999, has committed to donating $1,400 annually for the next four years. Jean Beltret, from the Dominican Republic, has also committed to donating a matching fund equal to the amount donated by his graduating class of 2000. With this preliminary success, EARTH is working with even greater determination to raise a half- scholarship from all the graduates so that EARTH can obtain the matching contribution and offer the first “Children of the Earth” scholarship next year.