The Global-Local Challenges in Sustainability in Monteverde, Costa Rica
The Monteverde Institute, located in the cloud forest region of the Tilaran Mountains in Costa Rica, engages in sustainable research and student-based environmental study abroad courses focused on the region and in collaboration with the surrounding communities. Executive Director, Jannelle Wilkins, of the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica gave a group of students and professors a sense of what that means during a brown bag seminar at UC Davis on March 5th. The seminar highlighted the importance of sustainable research and the significant effects the Institute has on the region and, by extension, the world. The Monteverde Institute in coordination with the student abroad programs is currently researching sustainable methods in community planning and design as well as watershed management and water availability. With the participation of international faculty, researchers and students as well as the local community, the Monteverde Institute is able to engage in programs and projects that are both locally and globally significant. By creating a sustainable and eco-friendly community in Monteverde, the Institute believes it can help inspire and aid other communities in achieving similar goals. The Institute runs approximately twenty five courses per year, including courses in: sustainable futures, globalization and community, global-local challenges to sustainability. Every year about 400-500 students visit the Institute and engage in their programs. Education is at the heart of the Monteverde Institute and plays a vital role in creating and maintaining a sustainable future. By exposing students to the region’s environment and culture, the Monteverde Institute hopes to generate discussion about sustainable living and helping shape a sustainable future. For more information about the Institute, please visit their website at http://www.mvinstitute.org/