SMITHFIELD, Virginia., August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — 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. from Smithfield donation was given to the top three teams during the competition awards ceremony on Friday, July 29, 2022.
The 2022 NCF-Envirothon is North America the largest environmental education program and international competition reaching more than 25,000 high school students each year across the United States, Canadaand China. The national championship event, held in Oxford, Ohio this year, 40 teams of students competed to demonstrate their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and the current environmental issue of “Waste to Resources” .
In the same way from Smithfield financial support to offer scholarships to the winners of the competition, Smithfield employees from across the country also donated their time and expertise to the program. During regional, national and international competitions throughout the year, Smithfield employees served as volunteer advisors to lead training sessions, facilitate curriculum and coordinate activities to help students deepen their environmental knowledge and problem-solving skills.
“For more than two decades, Smithfield has pioneered long-term solutions to reduce our environmental footprint. We are constantly looking for bold, impactful and innovative solutions to optimize our supply chain, reduce waste and improve our energy and water efficiency,” said Stewart Leeth, director of sustainability at 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.”
from Smithfield Our industry-leading sustainability program focuses on seven pillars: Animal Care, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Environment, Food Safety & Quality, Health & welfare, community support and worker health and safety. The company actively supports the NCF and its efforts to advance environmental education, aligning itself with both from Smithfield environmental initiatives and its commitment to supporting the vitality of local communities through education.
For more information on from Smithfield sustainability program, industry-leading environmental programs and commitment to helping communities, visit https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/sustainability.
About NCF-Envirothon
NCF-Envirothon is a hands-on leadership development program focused on solving environmental problems that includes a competition that is entered annually by high school students across the United States, Canadaand China. Participating teams undergo training and testing in five categories of natural resources: soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The program combines a classroom curriculum and practical field experience to provide a E-STIM 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 resource agencies to organize and conduct competitions at the local, regional, state and /or provincial. Winning teams from each state and province advance to a final competition to have the opportunity to compete for recognition, scholarships and prizes as well as understanding natural resource 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.
Based in Smithfield, Virginia since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and global reach. With over 60,000 jobs worldwide, we are committed to producing “good food. Responsibly.®and are one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for over two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to go carbon negative in our operations owned by the U.S. company and reduce GHG emissions by 30% 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 servings of food to our communities Smithfield has a portfolio of high-quality, iconic brands, such as Smithfield®Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.comand join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and instagram.
SOURCESmithfield Foods, Inc.