Hundreds of North American High School Students to compete at 2009 Canon Envirothon

Throughout the competition, teams will be tested on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue. This year’s current issue topic for the competition is Biodiversity in a Changing World. Students will analyze the long-term and short-term impact of natural environmental occurrences and human activities on genes, species and ecosystems relative to how each may influence or directly impact their future.

As they continue to learn about environmental issues affecting natural resources, participants will have the opportunity to compete for a share of more than $125,000 in educational scholarships, as well as Canon products. The competition is organized by the National Association of Conservation Districts, the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A) Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in the U.S and in Canada by the Provincial Forestry Associations.

"As a global corporate citizen, Canon is aware that decisions about the conservation and preservation of our environment will shape the future of our planet," said Jack Suzuki, senior director and general manager, Corporate Communications Division, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "Canon is guided by the philosophy of Kyosei – all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future. Embracing this philosophy, Canon U.S.A. believes environmental education is the key to a sustainable future. The students competing at the Canon Envirothon will have a direct hand in solving the complex environmental issues related to conserving and preserving the planet’s limited resources for future generations."

Since 1997, Canon U.S.A. has been a sponsor of this annual competition. The Canon Envirothon is one of North America’s largest high school environmental education competitions, in which more than 500,000 teenagers are involved in a year-long learning process that combines in-class curricula with hands-on field experiences. Five-member teams from schools and organizations compete for the distinction of representing their state, Canadian province or territory in the Canon Envirothon by first competing in local competitions organized by environmental agencies. Under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists and wildlife specialists, teams participate in a series of field-oriented tests. Students also prepare and deliver oral presentations to panels of judges who evaluate each team on their problem-solving capabilities, oral presentation skills and recommendations to help solve the specific environmental challenge presented during the competition.

In addition to the Canon Envirothon, Canon U.S.A. supports a wide range of environmental education and youth programs including, the PBS Nature series; programs at Yellowstone National Park; and many additional local programs.