EARTH inspires staff to go green

Filed Under: EARTH Stories
Date: October 28th, 2014
This young coati was abandoned by its mother and brought to Henry’s door. He fed it until it was well nourished and after a visit to the veterinarian, the animal was released into the wild.

This young coati was abandoned by its mother and brought to Henry’s door. He fed it until it was well nourished and after a visit to the veterinarian, the animal was released into the wild.

Henry Sossa planted flowers in his yard with the sole purpose of attracting butterflies: he likes to relax and watch them flutter in the garden after a long day’s work. A former Costa Rican intelligence agent, Henry lives on EARTH University’s campus with his family and has worked as the head of security for three years. Beyond his responsibility for ensuring a safe environment for the EARTH community, he is committed to environmental conservation, most notably the protection of the many kinds of animals that live on campus. “EARTH changes people,” he explains.

For many staff members, including Henry, the University has come to be a source of knowledge and a mentor in the areas of sustainability and environmental protection. In addition, EARTH’s 8,342-acre tropical campus provides a natural space where people can appreciate and interact with a large variety of animals.

Yohana Zamora says, “I think that EARTH somehow changes people’s lives. I know many people who have changed their ways of thinking.”

Yohana Zamora says, “I think that EARTH somehow changes people’s lives. I know many people who have changed their ways of thinking.”

Yohana Zamora is an accountant and has worked for EARTH for 23 years. She has been active in community activities since childhood, and four years ago she joined the Pro-Defense of Natural Resources Association (APRENAC), an entity that oversees the care of water sources and the environment in Iroquois, Costa Rica. According to Yohana, EARTH has served as a source of information and assessment for her work with APRENAC and she also learned to recycle on campus, and has taught her children and husband how to do the same. “I feel that I am doing something not just for my region, but for the world. I’m happy to have fought so that our future generations will have drinking water and fresher air, like we have today,” says Yohana.

Like Yohana, Henry is concerned about the planet that his children and future generations will inherit, and he is determined to continue caring for the deer, otters, kinkajous, coatis and agoutis that live at EARTH and often fall prey to poachers. For Henry, being able to work for the good of both humans and animals is what he calls his “dream job.”

Henry and his family raised this abandoned otter pup for almost a year, feeding it milk from a bottle when it was very young, later switching to raw fish. They brought the otter (who they named Minion) to the river on campus to teach it how to swim and fish for himself.

Henry and his family raised this abandoned otter pup for almost a year, feeding it milk from a bottle when it was very young, later switching to raw fish. They brought the otter (who they named Minion) to the river on campus to teach it how to swim and fish for himself.

“I think my love for animals is something I learned when I arrived here. I lived in the city for many years and had never seen a deer or a coati. What really changed me was watching them walk freely throughout campus and realizing that no one bothered them. That sensitized me, and now I care for them,” says Henry.

Yohana and Henry are a clear example of how the principles of sustainability permeate the University community. Henry explains “When people come here, I feel proud to tell them about how EARTH protects the environment.”

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One Comment

  1. Alexis Mejia says:

    Yo conoci a Minion, y soy testigo de todo el apoyo que se le brindó hasta llevarlo a un refugio para que pudiera vivir en un habitad mas acorde a su naturaleza. Felicidades Henry y a la familia Soza por esta gran muestra de cariño hacia la Naturaleza

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