Canadian team finishes in top ten at Canon Envirothon

Teams from Nine Canadian Provinces and 45 States Competed in One of North America's Largest High School Environmental Education Competitions

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 9 /CNW/ - Ontario's University of Toronto Schools team took seventh place in the 2010 Canon Envirothon held in Fresno, California over the last week. The competition's first place winner was a five-member team of high school students from Arlington High School, California. The winning team was announced during the closing ceremony of the weeklong North American environmental education competition held at the California State University in Fresno on August 6.

More than 270 teenagers from nine Canadian provinces and 45 U.S. states studied environmental issues and resource conservation, while competing for a share of more than $125,000 in scholarships and Canon products.

"Congratulations to all of the teams that participated in this year's Canon Envirothon," said Wayne Doyle, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications. "Canon is dedicated to creating an environment which fosters innovation and critical thinking among our future leaders. It has been truly inspiring to witness the hard work and dedication demonstrated by each student participating in this competition. Their commitment embodies Canon's corporate philosophy of Kyosei - all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future."

The first-place Arlington High School team received a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships, as well as Canon video equipment for their advisor and sponsoring agency/organizations to use in science education. Charter School of Wilmington Team 1, Delaware, ($20,000), and Rushford-Peterson High School, Minnesota ($15,000), placed second and third, respectively. The fourth-place team, John Carroll High School, Florida received $10,000 and the fifth-place team, Carroll County Boy Scout Venturing Crew 202, Maryland received $7,500. The list of schools/organizations finishing in the top 10 appears at the end of this announcement.

The Provincial Forestry Associations in Canada, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation in the U.S., are key partners in organizing the Canon Envirothon.

The Canon Envirothon tests teams on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue. The current issue for this year's competition was Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agricultural and Environmental Planning. The competing teams analyzed the long-term and short-term impacts of natural environmental occurrences and human activities on genes, species and ecosystems, relative to how each may influence or directly impact their future.

Since 1997, Canon has been a sponsor of this annual competition. The Canon Envirothon is the culmination of a series of competitions that began during the past school year and involved more than 500,000 teenagers throughout North America. In written tests and oral presentations, starting on the local level, winning five-member teams from schools and organizations competed for the distinction of representing their state, province or territory at the Canon Envirothon.

Each team's knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists, wildlife specialists and other natural resource professionals. Teamwork, problem-solving and presentation skills are evaluated as each team offers a panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving the specific challenge that is presented during the competition.

The 2011 competition will be held in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, July 31st through August 7th, 2011.

Canon Envirothon Media Centre: www.envirothon.org Click on the media centre for information about the competition, daily updates and photos of the winning teams. Photos of winning teams can be downloaded beginning Saturday, August 7, 2010.

The top 10 teams at the 2010 Canon Envirothon:

    
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    Place   Organization                                  State
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    1st     Arlington High School                         California
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    2nd     Charter School of Wilmington Team 1           Delaware
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    3rd     Rushford-Peterson High School                 Minnesota
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    4th     John Carroll High School                      Florida
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    5th     Carroll County Boy Scout Venturing Crew 202   Maryland
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    6th     Middleton High School                         Wisconsin
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    7th     University of Toronto Schools                 Ontario
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    8th     Candor High School                            New York
            Chardon High School                           Ohio
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    9th     Keene High School                             New Hampshire
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    10th    Lexington High School                         Massachusetts
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About Canon Canada Inc.

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company employs 1,200 people at its offices nation-wide, servicing the Canadian market from coast to coast. Innovation and cutting-edge technology have been essential ingredients in Canon's success. Canon's leadership in imaging, optical and document management technology and solutions is based in large part on the thousands of patents the company has secured throughout its history. For the 16th consecutive year, Canon Inc. is among the top three US patent recipients.

The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices; digital copiers (colour and black and white); printers, scanners, image filing systems and facsimile machines; calculators, digital camcorders, digital and analogue cameras and lenses; semiconductor, broadcast and other specialized industrial products.

Canon supports programs that help preserve and protect the environment. The company instituted the Clean Earth Campaign in 1990, which assists various environmental and recycling initiatives. The Campaign has also supported leading environmental organizations, such as World Wildlife Fund - Canada and the Canon Envirothon.

For more information, visit www.canon.ca

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

For further information: Wayne Doyle, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Canon Canada Inc., Tel: [phone], [email protected]; April Brown, High Road Communications, Tel: [phone], [email protected]