This special session will be the second in a series convened in partnership with EARTH University and in cooperation with Noragric, Centre for International Environment and Development Studies at the Agricultural University of Norway http://www.changetropics.org. It will take place on EARTH’s campus, a 3000 hectare farm in Costa Rica’s tropical Atlantic coastal zone; the academic and commercial farms at EARTH comprise an extensive outdoor laboratory where vital hands-on learning takes place. This session will provide an on-site, critical analysis of EARTH as an educational model and the further opportunity to explore themes such as community involvement, experiential education, and sustainable technologies in managing change in the tropics.