During the 2012 NAFSA Conference and Expo, the GoAbroad Team was pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Innovation Awards. As part of a continued effort to recognize the hard work and dedication this year’s nominees, GoAbroad will be sharing individual features of the 2012 GoAbroad Innovation Awards finalists over the coming weeks. This week, we are thrilled to bring you the Innovation in Sustainability finalists!
Please join us in congratulating the following Finalist of the Innovation in Sustainability Award:
The School for Field Studies
“The SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies”
Opened in 1991 by The School for Field Studies (SFS), the SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies has focused on environmental education and research that is beneficial to host communities and ecosystems. The backbone of the curriculum is the Five-Year Research Plan, established in collaboration with local community leaders, government officials, research institutions, and local land owners. In the classroom and field, students and faculty find solutions to questions related to the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of tourism, ecosystem function and fragmentation, as well as conflicts and synergies between parks and people.
In 2011, the Center’s farm was awarded The Rainforest Alliance’s “Sustainable Agriculture” certification, based on criteria in the areas of social and environmental management, biodiversity conservation, social and labor conditions, and agricultural practices and infrastructure. The Center’s certification status, the only one awarded to an Education Abroad provider, ensures an education abroad site where biodiversity is protected, staff rights are respected, crops are grown in respect for the environment, and the local community benefits from the Center’s research and outreach programs.