The Envirothon is a multi-disciplinary, environmental problem-solving program culminating in an annual series of competitions. Teams of five high school students (grades 9 -12) sponsored by a local conservation district, train and compete in the areas of soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry, and current environmental issues at local, regional and state levels.

Teams are provided with reference material and participate in hands-on training to acquire the knowledge and skills needed in each of the testing areas. The state Envirothon includes an oral presentation component to the competition. Students learn, in real-life context, the complexities of solving problems while working as a team and having fun.

The"Canon" Envirothon is sponsored by Canon USA and local conservation districts in partnership with Monsanto, the US Forest Service, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Materials available to assist states with their Envirothon include the Canon Envirothon Planning Guide and Canon Envirothon Introductory Video. To purchase the handbook or video contact the Canon Envirothon Executive Director Clay Burns at (866)854-2898 or (601)354-6213.

Click here to link to the Canon Envirothon Home Page and see the Envirothon products available through NACD.

Click here for the Florida Envirothon!

The Envirothon began in 1979 as an “Environmental Olympics” competition in a single county in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts sponsored the program and local competitions were held in three districts. The name was shortened to Enviro-Olympics in 1980 and the program continued to grow slowly. In 1984 the first state competition was conducted in Pennsylvania. In 1988 the name was changed to Envirothon and Pennsylvania was joined by Ohio and Massachusetts at the first National Envirothon. The program has grown from three states in 1988 to 47 U.S. states, U.S. territories and Canadian provinces in 1999.

The Canon Envirothon is sponsored by Canon USA and local conservation districts in partnership with Monsanto, the US Forest Service, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Conservation Districts.