Zip-lining Through the Rainforest

One day on the Caribbean coast was enough for Sarah Erdlen; she'd rather be in the Costa Rican rainforest looking at the sloths, howler monkeys and poison dart frogs. This wasn't just a free-time trip either, because she also earned two Penn State credits.

Erdlen is one of 15 students who took a spring-break trip to Costa Rica in March 2007 as part of a 400-level Environmental Resource Management/Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics course. While the beauty of this island country captivated the students, they also learned how Costa Rica balances its tourism trade with agricultural traditions and environmental needs.

The students started off in San Jose and traveled through mountains and farms and along the coast. They went on multiple jungle tours and a night tour; zip-lined through the tree canopies; visited coffee plantations, cacao farms, the Poas volcano and blue lagoon; and viewed cultural presentations.

However, the students on this not-soordinary spring break spent most of their time at EARTH University, a private international school dedicated to agricultural and environmental studies. At EARTH, they learned about the four main topics of this spring-break class: land use and biodiversity, waste management, sustainable agriculture and ecotourism. Many of the farms the Penn State students visited were ones EARTH students assist to make operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Erdlen, a sophomore Communuty, Environment, and Development major from York, Pa., says the students were able to compare and contrast the environmental and agricultural practices of Costa Rica and the United States, and see how the EARTH students apply classroom instruction to practical techniques.

Senior Colin Coppola from Chester Springs, Pa., says he discovered that there are people who know what must be done to preserve the rich biodiversity in countries such as Costa Rica.

"So many times, government intervention is needed for these changes, especially in the United States," says the Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics major, "but there are many farmers in Costa Rica who have begun to change the future of Costa Rica's rich wildlife for the better, all by themselves."

Junior Environmental Resource Management major Lauren Seiler says she had so much fun on the trip that she "would go back in a heartbeat."

"It was really an amazing and fun adventure," the Pennington, N.J., native says.