Envirothon Alberta: Our Future is Looking Green

Last week I spent a day at Envirothon Alberta. Since 1997, this event has brought students in Grades 9-12 together to learn about and work toward finding solutions to current environmental issues. The winning team goes on to compete in the North American competition, which is located in a different province or state each year. 

Each year’s competition focuses on a current environmental issue. Sustainable Agriculture was this year’s focus. Envirothon is very well-rounded, so although agriculture was the focus this time, there was still plenty of forestry at the event.

Long before the event starts, teams are sent books and tools that they can use to prepare for the competition, which tests the students on five environmental subjects: forestry, soils and landuse, oil and gas (energy), aquatic ecology, and wildlife. 

Students spent Friday morning, notepads and pens in hand, sitting in on talks from various presenters. This year, I gave a presentation about sustainability, the mountain pine beetle, and careers in the forest industry. There were other presentations on topics including agroforestry, wildlife, energy, and aquatics. 

Students then applied their skills over the following days as they competed for the coveted title of Envirothon Alberta Provincial Champions.

For three days, the students’ schedules were jam-packed, but there was still some time for fun and relaxation.

After a weekend of learning, completing field and written tests, and presenting detailed solutions to environmental scenarios, a panel of judges selected the winning team. Grande Prairie Composite High School was named 2014 Envirothon Alberta Provincial Champions!

This was my first time at Envirothon, and I left feeling encouraged to see how enthusiastic students from all over Alberta are about caring for our environment and managing our resources sustainably.

As an added bonus to all the learning, team-building, and excitement of the Envirothon competition, participants also receive 2 high school CTS credits. If you’re interested in entering a team into next year’s competition, visit the Alberta Envirothon website for more information.