History of Envirothon

History

The program was first established in Pennsylvania, in 1979, under the name Environmental Olympics. It was sponsored by The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts – an organization which works to enhance locally led efforts that support the wise use of the state’s natural resources.

Nova Scotia was proud to be the first Canadian team to participate. In 1997, for the 10th anniversary of the Envirothon, two other Canadian provinces (Manitoba and Ontario), joined Nova Scotia at the National competition in its birth-state of Pennsylvania.

In 2000, Envirothon lived up to the moniker of being North America’s largest high school environmental and natural resources competition by holding its first event in Canada. Nova Scotia was thrilled to be the first Canadian host. The 13th annual Envirothon saw 49 teams, from 41 states and 8 provinces, compete at Acadia University in Wolfville.

At the 2003 International Envirothon held in Maryland, Nova Scotia placed in the top ten again.Both times, the team representing Nova Scotia was Digby Regional High School. At the time, the Digby team was advised by Greg Turner and Anne Littlewood.

Due to sponsorship changes in 2013, the program’s name changed once again, to the North American Envirothon. The 2013 North American Envirothon was held in Bozeman, Montana with 55 states and provinces participating. In the latter half of 2013, the program saw more sponsorship changes, eventually leading to its current delivery and coordination by the National Conservation Foundation. The international program with students from across the USA, Canada and China compete at the NCF-Envirothon.