The SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies

"Centro de Estudios sobre Desarrollo Sostenible"

In 1991, The SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies became the fifth permanent SFS center, first stationed in Las Cruces, and, since 1993 located within the fertile Central Valley region in the town of Atenas. The Center sits on a hillside with spectacular views overlooking the Rio Grande River in the fertile Central Valley. The field station includes a large house, an outdoor classroom, a patio and pool. There is a classroom, small laboratory and a computer room with Internet access. The field station also is home to a farm which became a Rainforest Alliance Certified™ sustainable farm in the fall of 2011. The farm includes a moderately sized organic garden as well as banana, mango, and orange groves, a chicken coop, and untouched forest areas with trails. Students live in a dormitory (up to 4 to a room) with bathrooms. The field station is part of the small neighborhood of La Presa/Los Angeles. The friendly town of Atenas is a short walk from the field station while Costa Rica's tropical forests, beaches, mountains and volcanoes are within a day's travel.