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Costa Rica - Kathryn McConnell
Education Abroad's Sustainable Initiatives

Education Abroad is proud to offer the following initiatives to help make your time abroad more sustainable. For more tips on making your time abroad as sustainable as possible, see our Sustainable Travel page and our Sustainability Advice by Region page. 

Sustainability-Focused Programs

Education Abroad offers a large range of sustainability-focused programs around the world! Here are some examples. Meet with an advisor in our office to learn more.

Sustainable Study Abroad Pledge

The Sustainable Study Abroad Pledge is an optional tool to help you keep sustainability at the forefront of your Education Abroad experience. By opting in, you are committing to the pledge, and will receive three emails throughout the semester to help you fulfill the goal of the pledge. Learn more and take the pledge and see how other Buffs are living the pledge abroad

Sustainable Buffs Abroad Scholarship

Each term the CU Education Abroad office will award five $1,000 awards to students who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability efforts, both at home and on their program. Use the question prompt in your scholarship application to apply. Apply by completing a Buffs Abroad application, and filling out the optional Sustainable Buffs Abroad essay. 

Sustainable Staycation

Instead of traveling, spend a weekend exploring what your host city has to offer, follow @cubouldereducationabroad on Instagram and DM us your photos to be entered to win a $100 gift card. Sound like fun? Here are the nitty-gritty details:   
 
What: Ed Abroad’s Sustainable Staycation  
When: Education Abroad will send an email each semester with a couple weekends to choose from 
Where: Your host city!  
How: During your Sustainable Staycation, complete the scavenger hunt challenge and take pictures at each stop.   
  1. Follow @cubouldereducationabroad on Instagram
  1. Complete each stop of the scavenger hunt  
    • Try a new local dish (a snack, meal or beverage all count!)  
    • Visit a local park, museum, or cultural site (like a local UNESCO World Heritage Site 
    • Find the best place to watch the sunset (or sunrise if you’re feeling ambitious) 
  2. DM us a photo from each stop by the end of your chosen weekend. (If you don't have instagram, you can email your photos to abroad@colorado.edu).

Why: Get more out of your experience abroad by getting to know your host city while reducing your carbon footprint caused by flying. A weekend roundtrip flight from Italy to Spain for one person produces approximately 300kg of CO2. To put that in perspective, there are 10 million people in the world who emit fewer greenhouse gases than that in a whole year!  
 

Photo cred - Costa Rica by Kathryn McConnell
Last Updated November 2023