A group of Kellogg Community College faculty and a KCC administrator will lead a Lunch & Learn event May 10 to share their experiences from a recent trip to Earth University in Costa Rica.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, in the lobby of the Binda Performing Arts Center, on campus at 450 North Ave., Battle Creek. It will be led by Carole Davis, chair of KCC’s Math and Science Department, and KCC professors Doug and Kathy Mann and Faith Vruggink, who accompanied Davis on the trip during the first week of April.
Davis said the purpose of the trip was learn about Earth University’s sustainable agriculture and ag education models. The private, nonprofit institution offers a four-year undergraduate program in agricultural sciences and natural resources management; it was founded in 1986 in part through support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“Their education model is very hands-on and community-oriented, right from the get-go,” Davis said. “The students work in the community on the farm, not just in the classroom. They literally start their education shoveling.”
Davis said the Lunch & Learn event should be of interest to anyone interested in learning more about sustainable growing practices, international issues or education models, farm-to-table issues, community gardening, sustainable design, recycling or composting.
The event will cover much of what the KCC group learned about how the international university teaches students “techniques they can take back to their home countries, sustainable techniques they can implement successfully in their own back yards,” Davis said.
The event will include free light refreshments, but attendees may also bring their own lunches.
For more information, contact KCC’s Math and Science Department at 269-660-2337.
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.