Go beyond the cruise ship, past the safari, further than you’ve ever gone before… study abroad in the Galapagos with the Isabella Oceanographic Institute (IOI) this year!

This is seriously one of the coolest programs I’ve come across.

1.As they note on their website, teaching inhabitants to conserve is essential to ecological preservation.

My boyfriend’s mom often laments that her twin goals—environmental friendly goods and fair trade seldom coincide for this very reason—local inhabitants often use inefficient and environmentally harmful practices to produce their goods. But honestly who can blame them? Especially given the poverty of these places?

That’s why the IOI’s program is so amazing. You actually get a chance to participate in an environmental program that works with local residents towards ecological preservation. Read More »