Author’s Note: This is the fourth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star.

EARTH University is a unique private institute of higher learning with campuses in the Guanacaste and Limon provinces dedicated to addressing environmental and social challenges through the use of scientific investigation and entrepreneurship. EARTH University also serves as the headquarters of the Ad Astra Rocket Company in Costa Rica, the aerospace exploration firm started by Hall of Fame astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz.

EARTH University is involved in many projects that contribute to ecological conservation and protection, but of particular note for its approach to sustainability are the school’s own EARTH brand products. The university aims to be financially self-sufficient as much as possible, and to that extent the manufacturing and sales of EARTH brand products, as well as other business projects, help the school remain operational.

The Philosophy of EARTH Brand

Students learn about the world of entrepreneurship by developing new products, marketing the brand, and managing the product line. The raw materials used are purchased from local providers who are trained in responsible and sustainable practices by the students.

The campus serves as a business center and incubator for the community and graduates. Using its unique position in Costa Rica, EARTH can be a positive influence in business deal-making.

Examples of Feasibility

The banana cultivation and processing industry involves the use of lots of plastic. Working with EARTH brand, the banana plantations found a solid recycling partner for their plastic waste. A local business collects the plastic and turns it into a protective feature of the export boxes. EARTH University also promised to show the banana agricultural companies how to obtain a greater and higher quality crop yield, but only if they agreed to reduce their use of pesticides, employ more workers and promise to enact fair labor practices.

EARTH University has also worked with Coopedota, an enterprise in the Los Santos region that is proud to offer fair-trade and organic coffee at higher profits. You can find out more about this in our previous article about the economics of organic coffee.

EARTH Brand Product Catalog

• Dairy products: pasteurized milk, sour cream, Labne Karema (delicious Lebanese-style cheese), mozzarella, palmito, and fresh cheeses, as well as yogurt in different flavors.
• Fruit-based products: Fruit jams and Tropi-Frutti bars.
• Fresh Fruit: 100 percent organic bananas and pineapples (these are the pineapples sold in Whole Foods Market in the U.S.)
• Coffee: Light, medium and dark roasts.
• Paper products: Banana-based recycled paper.
• Agricultural Products: Eco-friendly fertilizers, pesticides, pH regulators, and others.
• Household cleaners: Lifeem all-purpose cleaner and odor control agent.

For more information on EARTH brand products, please visit their website.