Envirothon Alumni Profile: Ben Woodward

The Ontario Envirothon program prepares students for post-secondary education and careers in the environmental sciences while refining their interpersonal and teamwork skills. Envirothon touches the lives of its participants — fueling a passion for the environment and sparking friendships.

Ben participated in the Southwestern Region Envirothon all four years of high school (2016-2019), with his team advancing to the Provincial level competitions in 2017 & 2019.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

A: My name is Ben Woodward. I am a second year Geography and Environmental Management student at the University of Waterloo, where I pursue my interest in geography, geomatics, earth and environmental sciences, and local history. My career goal is to conduct research on Great Lakes issues, specifically eutrophication.

Q: How did you first hear about Envirothon?

A: I joined my school’s Geography Club in ninth grade to help advocate for a cleaner Thames River. Many Londoners know that during heavy rain events, our city’s sewage plant releases significant volumes of untreated or partially treated sewage into the river, which has a negative environmental impact on surrounding waterbodies.

Long story short, I was introduced to Envirothon through Geography Club – I joined without hesitation and had an amazing time!

Q: Did you participate in any other extra-curricular activities focused on environmental issues?

A: In addition to conducting several research projects on the local environment during high school, I also participated in numerous geography competitions – each one involved a fieldwork component, providing lots of opportunity to apply the valuable field skills I learned at Envirothon.

For instance, I represented Team Canada in 2018 and 2019 at the International Geography Olympiads. To make Team Canada, I had to design and conduct my own field research project to show the judges I had the field skills necessary to do well at the international level. During both years, my fieldwork projects were heavily inspired by concepts and skills I had picked up during Envirothon. In fact, I attribute finishing third worldwide at Olympiad in 2019 in part to my Envirothon experience.

Q: What did you enjoy most about Envirothon?

A: My favourite part of Envirothon was learning field skills from the amazing volunteers at the workshops. I especially enjoyed when Doug (our region’s soil expert) had us gather, handle, and identify (but not taste!) soil samples.

Q: In your opinion, what do you think students gain from participating in Envirothon?

A: In my opinion, the greatest thing that students gain from participating in Envirothon is a deeper understanding of, and relationship with, the natural world. It’s one thing to read about environmental topics like climate change or plastic pollution, but exploring forests, taking water samples, and getting your hands dirty allows students to truly comprehend what is at stake.

Q: What would you say to someone considering participating in Envirothon?

A: Even if you don’t win, it’s still well worth participating just for the learning experience! You might get wet, you might get dirty, but at the end of each session you will have had an amazing time, met lots of great people, and learned an incredible amount about Ontario’s environment.

Q: What was/is your favourite Envirothon topic?

A: Soils, hands down! While it is arguably the most complicated of the four modules, I find it fascinating because it allows you to integrate your knowledge of chemistry, biology, geography, climate, and geology. Studying soils is the ultimate synthesis of practical and theoretical knowledge and a great way to deepen your understanding of the subjects I just listed. Plus, to truly learn about soils, you have to hop into a soil pit and get your hands dirty, and who doesn’t love that!?

The Envirothon program is an environmentally-themed academic competition for high school students, held across Canada and the United States on regional, provincial, and bi-national levels. The first-place team from the provincial and state Envirothon Championships go on to compete in the NCF-Envirothon. In total, more than 500,000 students across North America participate in Envirothon competitions annually. For more information, visit the Envirothon page of our website.