Education
Can Chocolate Save the Rainforest?
Can chocolate save the rainforest? BFREE has been exploring this question for many years, beginning when our certified organic shade-grown cacao demonstration farm was planted in 2006. Since then we have worked diligently to provide educational opportunities and support for those interested in learning more about the benefits of shade-grown cacao. We have offered workshops and training…
Read MoreThe Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook
The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook is now complete and available in Belize. A joint effort between BFREE and UNC Wilmington’s Department of Environmental Studies with significant input from experts at the Cocoa Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, the handbook describes the benefits of sustainable agriculture for humans, wildlife and forests. The 70-page…
Read MorePrimary School Book Drive
Today, I’m writing to you as a reader and a lover of books. Some of my fondest early memories involve Saturday morning visits to our neighborhood library in North Carolina. My dad and I would browse our favorite sections and leave with stacks of books. When we reached home, he would recline in his chair…
Read MoreFinalist in Wildlife Vaasa Film Festival
BFREE’s documentary film, “Wings of Hope,” was selected as a finalist in Finland’s Wildlife Vaasa – International Nature Film Festival. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, and produced by Carol Foster and Jacob Marlin of BFREE, the film is about the re-discovery of wild Harpy Eagles in Belize. “Wings…
Read More2016 Field Courses
BFREE hosted 210 students and instructors through our field courses this season. Groups came from the United States and from within Belize to engage in hands-on learning. While at BFREE, students were introduced to on-going conservation projects at the field station like the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center and the cacao and coffee agroforest. Some students took the opportunity…
Read MoreEducation Committee Advancing Education and Long-term monitoring at BFREE
BY DR. PETER ESSELMAN US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY and BFREE BOARD MEMBER The BFREE Education Committee was convened in late 2014 to help BFREE deliver the highest quality field courses possible. The committee is chaired by board member Dr. Peter Esselman (US Geological Survey), and composed of professors with long running study abroad programs at BFREE,…
Read MoreRotary Wheeling to BFREE
By Caitlin Addison-Howard, Rotary Toilet Project Coordinator Our group of Rotarians from Corozal Rotary Club #1794 was charged with bringing back information on a working composting toilet design. The toilet needed to meet a few requirements: low or no water use, a model that would improve the general health of students and an inexpensive and…
Read More