On our first weekend in Rio, the group made a day trip excursion to Ilha do Abrao which is home to the State University of Rio Ecological Center. Professor Joel Creed gave a talk regarding the importance of environmental preservation and the Ecological center's role in support of the rainforests of the world, including the Amazon, the forests of Central Brazil, and the Atlantic Rainforest, which UERJ lays in the heart of.
The UERJ focuses on the balance between utilization and maintenance and preservation of the rainforests and Brazil's other natural resources. "Our main objective is to understand and mitigate the impact of man on the world."
The school's facility, formerly a prison, is now home to forty students who come from all parts of Brazil to study the environment in the country's most influential institution.
UERJ utilizes two phases of study, alpha or knowledge stage, and phase two or model stage. This two phase study program is effective in the study of human environmental impact relative to such areas as waste and trash creation and tourism.