2009 Canon Envirothon Competition Media Release

Hundreds of North American High School Students To Compete at 2009 Canon Envirothon

Teams Convene at University of North Carolina – Asheville for One of

North America’s Largest High School Environmental Education Competitions

Lake Success, N.Y., July 27, 2009 – More than 260 teenagers from 45 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces will meet at the University of North Carolina – Asheville, from August 2 through August 8, to participate as finalists in one of North America’s largest high school environmental education competition, the 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. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com/environment.

A list of the U.S. and Canadian schools/organizations participating in the 2009 Canon Envirothon appears below.

Canon Envirothon Media Center: www.envirothon.org Click on the media center for information about the competition, daily updates and photos of the winning teams. Photos of winning teams can be downloaded beginning Saturday, August 8, 2009.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number seven in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies 2008 list, and is on the 2008 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/RSS.

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†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

State	City/Town	Organization
Alabama	Russellville	Belgreen High School
Alaska	Homer	Homer High School
Arizona	Flagstaff	Sinagua High School
Arkansas	Little Rock	Mills University Studies High School
California	Riverside	Arlington High School
Connecticut	Falls Village	Housatonic Valley Regional High School
Delaware	Wilmington	Wilmington Charter School
Florida	Jupiter	Jupiter High School
Georgia	Toccoa	Stephens County High School
Idaho	Gooding	Gooding High School
Illinois	Woodstock	Woodstock High School
Indiana	Princeton	Gibson County Christian Home Educators
Iowa	Decorah	Decorah High School
Kansas	Clay Center	Clay Center Community High School
Kentucky	Richmond	Richmond Model Lab School
Louisiana	New Orleans	Audubon Zoo Mighty Marsupials
Maine	Jay	Jay High School
Maryland	Westminster	Carroll County High School
Massachusetts	Fiskdale	Tantasqua Regional High School
Michigan	Lake Orion	Lake Orion High School
Minnesota	Collegeville	St. John's Preparatory School
Mississippi	Oxford	Oxford High School
Missouri	Kansas City	Pembroke Hill High School
Montana	Missoula	Montana Big Sky High School
Nebraska	Ord	Ord FFA Chapter
New Hampshire	Spofford	Keene High School
New Jersey	Newton	Kittatinny Regional High School
New Mexico	Albuquerque	Bosque School
New York	Candor	Candor High School
North Carolina	Benson	West Johnston High School
North Dakota	Forman	Sargent Central High School
Ohio	Granville	Granville High School
Oklahoma	Lawton	Lawton High School
Oregon	Salem	South Salem High School
Pennsylvania	Sanatoga	Penncrest High School
Rhode Island	Coventry	Coventry High School
South Carolina	Spartanburg	Spartanburg High School
Tennessee	Clinton	Clinton High School
Texas	Montgomery	The John Cooper School
Utah	Ogden	Bonneville High School
Vermont	Essex Junction	Essex High School
Virginia	Fort Defiance	Fort Defiance High School
Washington	Stanwood	Stanwood High School
West Virginia	Ravenswood	Ravenswood High School
Wisconsin	Middleton	Middleton High School
Province	City/Town	Organization
Manitoba	Swan River	Swan Valley Regional Secondary School
New Brunswick	Stanley	Stanley High School
Newfoundland and Labrador	Deer Lake	Elwood High School
Nova Scotia	Auburn	West Kings Regional High School
Ontario	Toronto	University of Toronto Schools
Prince Edward Island Canada	Summerside	Three Oaks Senior High School
Saskatchewan	Saskatoon	Walter Murray Collegiate Institute