Career club packets / Environmental science
How to run an environmental science club
Members get outside, learn the science behind water, soil, forests, and wildlife, and compete as a team in the spring. The study guides are already written.
Built onEnvirothon, a competition run in nearly every state. Teams of five high schoolers study aquatic ecology, forestry, soil and land use, wildlife, and a yearly current issue, then take field tests and give a presentation. State programs post free study guides; California’s is caenvirothon.org.
Part 1
Start the club
A science teacher, a room, and five people who’d rather be outside.
Start the club
1Get signupsProof people want the club, and when they can meet.
Copy the Doorstop signup form, rename it, and send it to group chats and the classes closest to the field. Every signup is proof people want this, and the form asks when people can meet.
2Ask a teacher to adviseStart with an environmental science (AP or regular), biology, or agriculture teacher.
Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. last name],
I’m starting an environmental science club and have [number from the form] students signed up. We’d do field science outside, study for the Envirothon competition with its free guides, and meet people who work in conservation. Would you be open to being our advisor?
We’d like to meet [times that worked on the form]. I’ll run the meetings and handle signups; we’d mostly need you there and your name on the club form.
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
Once they say yes, ask for your school’s form to make the club official. More on this step: How to start a club.
3Form an Envirothon team
A team is five students in grades 9 to 12. A big club can field two teams, or keep extras as alternates and field-day crew. Find your state’s program on envirothon.org and email them that you’re forming a team; they’ll tell you the season’s dates and fees.
Split the work
Four jobs are enough for a new club. One person can hold two.
Part 2
Fund it
Study materials are free. The money goes to field gear and getting to the competition.
First: find out how your school takes money
- The student activity account
- The PTA, PTO, or booster club
- The district’s education foundation
Who to ask
The front office always knows. Ask the school secretary or office manager who handles club money: usually a bookkeeper or financial secretary. Or ask your advisor; they’ll know who did it for their last club.
Email to askOpen in email
Subject: How can someone donate to our environmental science club? Hi [name], I’m [your name], a [grade], and I’m starting a environmental science club with [advisor] as our advisor. We’re about to ask [local businesses, families, or a grant] for [what you need], and I want to make sure the money goes to the right place. Could you tell me: - Who a donation should be made out to, and what to write in the memo line? - Whether the club needs its own account in the student activity fund, and how to set one up? - Whether the PTA or booster club can take a donation earmarked for the club? Thank you so much! [Your name]
Or ask a friend
Someone who’s treasurer of student government, or an officer in a club that already raises money, has done this.
Text to a friend
Hey! Quick question: when your club gets money (a donation or a grant), where does it go? Who did you ask about setting that up?
Find grants, sponsors, and local funders for your club
Enter your school and we’ll search for PTAs, foundations, local businesses, and grants near you, write a one-page proposal, and find your state senator’s office.
Budget
1What it costs, and an email to your principalA typical budget, and the email that asks your school to cover it.
| What | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Study guides | Free | Your state Envirothon’s site and the national study resources. |
| Field kit | $60–150 | An estimate: water test strips, a soil texture jar, hand lenses, a tree ID guide, and a field notebook each. |
| Field trips | Often free | Many conservation districts, water districts, and nature centers host school groups at no cost. Buses are the real cost. |
| Competition | Varies | Ask your state program for the entry fee and whether it’s in person. Gas or a bus for the day. |
Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. last name],
I’m starting an environmental science club with [number] students signed up and [advisor] as our advisor. We’re forming an Envirothon team and doing field science on our own campus.
To get started we need a basic field kit (water and soil test supplies, hand lenses, ID guides) and a ride to the spring Envirothon, which would cost about [$250]. Is there room in the budget for that, or do you have advice on how we could get it funded?
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
- Your local conservation district and water district. Many have school mini-grants, free supplies, or education staff. Ask what they offer before you buy anything.
- Your state’s green-schools or watershed grants. Usually a teacher applies, so bring the idea to your advisor.
Part 3
A year of meetings
One Envirothon subject a month, with a field activity every month, and the presentation in spring.
| Month | Subject | Field activity |
|---|---|---|
| Sep | Kickoff | Bioblitz: photograph every living thing on campus with iNaturalist in 30 minutes. |
| Oct | Soil and land use | Soil texture by feel and a jar test from three spots on campus. |
| Nov | Aquatic ecology | Test water from a creek, a pond, and a drinking fountain (pH, nitrate, temperature). |
| Dec | Forestry | Measure and identify every tree on campus; estimate one tree’s height and age. |
| Jan | Wildlife | Track, scat, and sign hunt at a local park, or a wildlife camera on campus. |
| Feb | Current issue | Read the year’s issue and split it into parts; each pair becomes the expert on one. |
| Mar | Practice tests | Station rotations: 15 minutes per subject, timed, with old test questions. |
| Apr | Presentation | Present your current-issue plan to teachers and a guest expert. Then compete. |
Part 4
Speakers and mentors
Conservation agencies have education staff whose job is talking to students.
Find speakers near your school
Pick your school, and we’ll search for people working nearby whose jobs fit an environmental science club, ten at a time, or for alumni of your school. Each one comes with an invite already written. Your list is saved in this browser.
- Resource conservation districts. Every state has them; they run Envirothon in many places and often have an education specialist.
- Water and utility districts. Water quality staff, engineers, and education teams.
- State and county parks. Rangers and naturalists, often with free field trips.
- Air quality agencies. Some run free high-school air monitoring units with real sensors.
- University ecology and soil science departments, and graduate students doing fieldwork nearby.
- Your own school’s families. Add a line to the signup form: “Does anyone in your family work in this field?” It’s the fastest source there is.
- Alumni. Search LinkedIn for your school’s name plus a job title. People say yes to their old school.
- Local colleges. Professors, program directors, and student clubs at the nearest community college or university often have outreach time to fill.
- People you read about. A news story or a company’s team page is a reason to write: “I read about your work on [thing].”
Hi [name],
I’m a student at [school] in [city], and I run our environmental science club. I came across [how you found them: a teacher, an article, their website], and I think our members would love to hear about [what they do in environmental science].
What it would involve:
- One club meeting, about [40] minutes, in person or on video.
- About fifteen minutes on what you do and how you got there, then questions. No slides needed.
- A student will meet you at the front office and introduce you.
Research that followed thousands of students for ten years found that hearing from people with real jobs in high school was linked to higher pay later on. A lot of us have never met anyone who does what you do.
Would you be up for it? We meet [day and time], and any [month] date works.
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Club name], [school]
Make the line about why you picked them specific; that’s what gets a yes. No answer in a week? Send one short follow-up.
Hi [name],
I’m a student at [school] in [city], and I run our environmental science club with [advisor], our advisor. I came across [how you found them], and I think you’d be a great mentor for a student who wants to work in environmental science or conservation.
What it would involve:
- A video call or meeting with your student about once a month
- Any background check or sign-in rules the school has for volunteers
- Nothing to prepare: just being honest about your work and how you got there
Would you be up for it? Happy to answer any questions.
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Club name], [school]
Part 5
Go further
Things members can put on an application.
- Win state, go to nationals. The top state Envirothon team goes to the NCF-Envirothon, a week-long national competition each summer.
- City Nature Challenge. Each spring, cities compete to log the most iNaturalist observations over a few days. Run a club bioblitz that weekend.
- Teen volunteer programs at zoos, nature centers, and botanic gardens; many take students from 14.
- Start a sustainability project. If members want to change something on campus, see the sustainability club packet.