SMITHFIELD, Va. — Smithfield Foods, Inc. today proudly announced its donation of $30,000 in scholarship funds to support the 2022 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon Competition. The international competition features high school students competing in teams to demonstrate their environmental knowledge and problem-solving skills. Smithfield’s donation was awarded to the top three teams during the competition’s awards ceremony on Friday, July 29, 2022.
The 2022 NCF-Envirothon is North America’s largest environmental education program and international competition that impacts more than 25,000 high school students annually across the U.S., Canada, and China. The national championship event, held in Oxford, Ohio this year, saw 40 teams of students compete to demonstrate their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and the current environmental issue of “Waste to Resources.”
Along with Smithfield’s financial support to provide scholarships to competition winners, Smithfield employees across the country also donated their time and expertise to the program. During the regional, statewide, and international competitions throughout the year, Smithfield employees served as volunteer advisors to lead training sessions, facilitate program curriculum, and coordinate activities to help further students’ environmental knowledge and problem-solving skills.
“For more than two decades, Smithfield has pioneered long-term solutions to decrease our environmental footprint. We are continually researching bold, impactful and innovative solutions to optimize our supply chain, reduce waste and improve our energy and water efficiency,” said Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “With sustainability as a top priority, we are proud to support the next generation of stewards through the NCF-Envirothon. The drive to create a more sustainable future shown by these students is inspiring.”
Smithfield’s industry-leading sustainability program is focused on seven pillars: Animal Care, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Environment, Food Safety and Quality, Health and Wellness, Helping Communities, and Worker Health and Safety. The company actively supports NCF and its efforts to advance environmental education, aligning with both Smithfield’s environmental initiatives and its commitment to support the vitality of local communities through education.
For more information about Smithfield’s sustainability program, industry-leading environmental programs, and its commitment to helping communities, visit https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/sustainability.
About NCF-Envirothon
NCF-Envirothon is a hands-on, environmental problem-solving, leadership development program that includes a competition involving high school students annually throughout the U.S., Canada, and China. Participating teams complete training and testing in five natural resource categories: soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues. The program combines in-class curriculum and hands-on field experience to provide an E-STEM program for students in environmental education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
NCF-Envirothon works in partnership with local conservation districts, and their state associations, forestry associations, educators, school officials, and cooperating natural resources agencies to organize and conduct competitions on the local, regional, state and/or provincial level. Winning teams from each state and province advance to a final competition for the opportunity to compete for recognition, scholarships and prizes as well as understanding of natural resources issues. For more information on this exciting program visit www.envirothon.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” and serve as one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
