A team of Markham students placed third out of nearly 50 teams in an international environment competition.
Emily Lim, Kevin Lin, Jason Deng, Diya Rangrej and Ella Wen of Markville Secondary School qualified to compete at the 2023 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon in New Brunswick after placing and advancing from regional and provincial Envirothons.
The annual event educates students about the environment and conservation of natural resources through hands-on outdoor experiences, academic study and collaborative competitions. Its vision is to give students the knowledge and skills to educate others, inspire action in their local communities, and promote a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
This year’s competition, held from July 23 to 28 at Mount Allison University in Tantramar (formerly Sackville), drew teams from across North America, as well as China and Singapore. The theme was Adapting to Climate Change. Students learned about factors contributing to a changing climate, the effects of those changes on the environment and natural resources, and the unique challenges facing communities that depend on natural resources.
As they explored the impacts on human social and economic systems, students learned about management strategies for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate, and the roles of innovative technologies and programs in responding to local and global changes.
Hundreds of thousands of students have competed in Envirothon since its beginnings in 1979, the NCF reports. Many alumni work in the environment and/or natural resources in such careers as forest rangers, climate change scientists, biologists, conservationists and soil scientists.
Photo (L-R): Team Ontario members Jason Deng, Emily Lim, Ella Wen, Diya Rangrej and Kevin Lin at the NCF-Envirothon awards ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Team Ontario)
