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

A five-member team of high school students from Penncrest High School in Sanatoga, Pennsylvania, are the winners of the 2009 Canon Envirothon. The winning team was announced on Friday, August 7^th, during the closing ceremony of the weeklong North American environmental education competition held at the University of North Carolina – Asheville and sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.

More than 260 teenagers from 45 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces 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 Jack Suzuki, senior director and general manager, Corporate Communications Division, Canon U.S.A. "It has been truly inspiring to witness the dedication demonstrated by each student participating in this competition. The students’ 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 Pennsylvania team received a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships along with Canon video equipment for their advisor and sponsoring agency/organizations to use in science education. West Johnston High School in Benson, North Carolina, ($20,000), and Carroll County High School in Westminster, Maryland, ($15,000), placed second and third, respectively. The fourth-place team, Wilmington Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware, received $10,000. The fifth-place team, Pembroke Hill High School in Kansas City, Missouri, received $7,500. The list of schools/organizations finishing in the top 10 appears at the end of this announcement.

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

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 Biodiversity in a Changing World. 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 U.S.A. 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 2010 competition will be held at the University of California – Merced, July 31^st through August 7^th, 2010.

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.

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 four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 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.

†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.

The top 10 teams at the 2009 Canon Envirothon:

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