It was an exciting couple of days at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens on May 25th and 26th as we welcomed fifty-five students from across the province to Acadia's campus for the provincial Envirothon competition. This year was our biggest competition since the pandemic with 10 teams representing 6 different high schools from across the province. In addition to the student participants, over 26 volunteers attended this year's competition which included experts from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Net Zero Atlantic, WILD Outside, Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, and the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute.
Envirothon participants are tested on five subject areas: wildlife, forestry, aquatics, soils and land use, and a current issue. This year's current issue was adapting to a changing climate.
The vision of NCF-Envirothon is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to educate others, inspire action in their local communities, and promote a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
NCF Envirothon (National Envirothon Organization)
This year's competition really tried to emphasize the interrelationships between the environment, social and cultural norms and values, and the local economy. I hope the main message that the Envirothon participants take away is that we need everyone's skills, passions, and talents to address the complex environmental challenges that we currently face.
Sarah Lavallee, 2023 Nova Scotia Envirothon Coordinator (Interim Research Manager & Irving Scholar Coordinator, K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre)
Group Photo of all Envirothon Participants during the Closing Ceremony
The 2023 Nova Scotia Envirothon would not have been possible without the support of numerous individuals. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Acadia University and the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre for hosting the competition, our partners, Net Zero Atlantic and WILD Outside for your involvement with programming, and this year's sponsors. Finally, we express our deepest gratitude to the 26 volunteers who helped bring this program to life. Thank you for supporting environmental education in our province!
