Studying abroad did not fit into University of Wisconsin senior Breanna Webb’s inflexible engineering schedule, until she received the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica through an international program offering hands-on experience with a sustainability focus.

Webb was able to participate in The Global Renewable Energy Education Network program, which is a 10-day long study abroad program that combines intensive study with the opportunity to do hands-on projects related to renewable energy and sustainability, according to the program’s website.

The program encourages students to become innovative thinkers and environmentally-conscious leaders, Program Director Adam Phoebe said.

“It was an incredible experience,” Webb said. “I know now that renewable energy is possible because it’s clearly being done in other parts of the world.”

The GREEN program began operating in 2009 and currently has about 1,000 alumni and about 100 students presently involved, Phoebe said. The purpose of the program is to advocate for renewable energy while providing an opportunity for engineering students to study abroad, he said.

However, being an engineering student is not a requirement for the program, Phoebe said.

“We target [engineering students] since they usually can’t go abroad with all of the high level math classes they take, but it’s open to everyone and about 25 percent of non-engineering students are accepted,” Phoebe said.

While Webb said much of her time was devoted to hard work, the experience also offered time for adventure. Besides working on her capstone project, Webb, a civil and environmental engineering student, experienced a new culture and some excursions through the jungle, such as zip lining and white water rafting, she said.

Some outdoorsy aspects of the trip were frightening at first, but Webb said she forced herself out of her comfort zone and “absolutely loved it”. She said her favorite part was being immersed in another culture and observing how simply people lived their everyday lives.

“They didn’t have a lot of stuff and they always tried to use less,” Webb said. “They were just so happy and had the best attitudes.”

Webb and the other students worked on teams to create business proposals focused on renewable energy in developing communities, Webb said.

UW students George Feng and Michelle Igielski said their experience with The GREEN Program was “life changing”. Feng and Igielski traveled to Iceland where they created an educational program on sustainable energy geared towards elementary school students.

“We would wake up, eat breakfast, go on some adventure the whole day like snorkeling or caving or hiking and then we’d be up late every night working on that capstone project,” Igielski said.

“I got an email about it from Pam Peterson a couple times, thought ‘Great, let’s do this’ and went,” Feng said.

Participant in the GREEN program have come from all over the world and around 20 to 30 students are accepted for each trip, Feng said.

Igielski said the greatest part of her experience was seeing how possible it is to implement renewable energy.

“I want people to know that it’s not too expensive, that it is possible, and that other countries are doing it,” Igielski said.