Rhode Island Envirothon is an exciting environmental program, perfect for middle and high school students who love the outdoors, animals, and plants, or who are just curious about the world we live in. Throughout the year, Envirothon students attend hands-on workshops that inspire learning about our natural environment and instill an appreciation of nature and the delicate environmental balances that make life possible. After studying with experts on all aspects of the environment, the program culminates each May in a one-day battle of environmental minds!

The outdoor competition will be held at the Kent County YMCA, at 900 Centerville Road (Route 117) in Warwick, where the teams will rotate through five stations to answer written questions and engage in hands-on activities like soil analysis, wildlife habitat assessment, tree identification, and water quality sampling. At the last station, they will deliver a 12-15-minute presentation on this year’s Environmental Issue, “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change” to a panel of judges.

SCHEDULE

• 8:15 a.m.           Registration for teams, judges and volunteers
• 8:45 a.m.           Welcome and announcements
• 9:00 a.m.          Competition begins
• 12:00 p.m.         Lunch, informal team roundtables sharing research & community service projects
• 12:45 p.m.         Announcement of awards

Students participating in the event represent East Providence High School, Narragansett High School, St. Mary’s Academy Bay View in East Providence, The Greene School in West Greenwich, and The Wheeler School in Providence; representing the middle school will be Providence Country Day.

Volunteers and environmental professionals from state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, higher education, and private industry are serving as event organizers, station volunteers, subject matter experts and judges.

RI Envirothon is not just an educational program. The environmental appreciation and team-building skills the students learn are real-world experiences that they will carry throughout their lives as they become the leaders of tomorrow. Envirothon teaches our youth HOW to think, not WHAT to think.

BACKGROUND

RI Envirothon is coordinated by a partnership of state and federal environmental agencies, conservation districts, non-profit organizations and academic institutions. 

The 2025 Rhode Island Envirothon is made possible through the contributions of partnering agencies and organizations, including financial support from: the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, AMICA, Environmental Business Council of New England, The Hammond Family, Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England, Rhode Island Society of Environmental professionals, Senator Susan Sosnowski’s Office, Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, RI Tree Farm, RIFCO, Navigant Credit Union, Westerly Community Bank, and many other professional and environmental organizations. 

The overall winning team will have the opportunity to represent Rhode Island in the International Envirothon, to be held July 20-26, 2025, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

MORE INFORMATION

Reporters are asked to RSVP by May 22, 2025, by contacting Julie Wright at 401-822-8843 or Julie.wright@usda.gov. Persons with disabilities who require special accommodations to participate should please contact Kat Zuromski at 401-786-1389 or kathryn.zuromski@usda.gov.

PHOTO REQUESTS

Official team photos and action shots of teams during the competition will be available afterward. If you would like photos by a specific date and/or of a specific team(s), please e-mail or call the contact above. 

A news release announcing the 2025 RI Envirothon top scoring teams will be issued after the event. 

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