Mississippi Hosts 2001 Canon Envirothon

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For Immediate Release

Mississippi Hosts 2001 Canon Envirothon

North America's Top High School Environmental Science Students Will Test Their Knowledge In Team Competition at Hinds Community College

NEW YORK, LAKE SUCCESS, Jul. 24 -/E-Wire/-- During a summer in which rising fuel prices, rolling power blackouts and other energy shortages are focusing attention on the environment, high school students from the coast of Maine, the Arizona desert and the mountains of British Columbia gather today for a five-day experience of a lifetime at the 2001 Canon Envirothon environmental science competition. Numbering more than 250 and accompanied by their advisors, students from 42 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces will compete in the international finals of the 2001 Canon Envirothon that begins this evening at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, outside the capitol city of Jackson.

The Canon Envirothon is the largest environmental high school science competition in North America and one of several initiatives that Canon U.S.A. funds to promote environmental awareness, conservation and education. Student contestants will vie for a share of the $30,000 college scholarship money as well as the mantle of Canon Envirothon champion.

Clad in hiking boots and t-shirts bearing their team names, students will visit parks and wilderness areas outside of historic Jackson to measure trees, test soil, sample water and observe wildlife while gathering information to solve an urban non-point source pollution (runoff) environmental challenge. The top five winning teams will be announced at the conclusion of the competition on Saturday, July 28.

"The Canon Envirothon fosters teamwork, while offering students a terrific opportunity to further their interest in environmental studies," said Keith Paglen, manager of Cause Marketing and Philanthropy for Canon U.S.A., the title sponsor. "Concern for the environment is a prime interest at Canon and we support this event to help young people develop an awareness of what it takes to protect it." The festivities begin this evening at 6:30 p.m. Central Time with the Opening Ceremonies, where the students will display flags from the 42 states and 7 Canadian provinces they represent. Immediately afterward, the students will join in a "trading session" with their fellow contestants to exchange trinkets and souvenirs representative of their home areas.

More than 600 people, including volunteers, are expected to participate in this year's international Canon Envirothon. The week's events represent the culmination of a competition which began early this spring in communities across the United States and Canada. More than 500,000 students competed against teams from other high schools in local contests with the winners moving on to the state and province level. Students participated in a series of written tests and oral presentations which were judged by environmental professionals, including university professors, soil and water conservation scientists, and other natural resource experts.

The Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission and the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts are hosting this year's Envirothon, with other principal sponsors including Chevron, USDA Forest Service and the USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Canon Envirothon is supported and run by soil and water conservation districts, state and federal forestry associations and other local, state and federal environmental organizations.

Canon U.S.A. is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging systems and solutions and, through its parent company, Canon Inc. of Japan (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent holder of imaging technologies. Canon works to protect the environment through its award-winning Clean Earth Campaign, which encompasses development of energy-efficient products, equipment remanufacturing and refurbishment, workplace conservation and the protection of endangered species and their habitats through donations and employee volunteerism. Canon's environmental accomplishments include:

* Developing an environmentally sensitive copier series that won the 2000 "Copier of the Future Award of Excellence" from the International Energy Agency. Canon's imageRUNNER 2200/2800/3300 models not only meet, but greatly exceed U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR qualification criteria. Canon's patented RAPID Fusing System dramatically reduces the energy consumed during warm-up and sleep modes to less than 25% that of conventional copiers. Among numerous environmentally sensitive features, the machines have a lead-, halogen- and chrome-free design, which eliminates the release of these potentially harmful substances when the equipment is disposed or recycled.

* Collecting for recovery more than 45 million Canon-manufactured toner cartridges used in copiers, laser printers and facsimile machines.

* Providing three-year, $75,000 scholarships to doctoral students whose innovative research addresses conservation issues critical to U.S. National Parks.

* Underwriting since 1990 the award-winning PBS series NATURE, the leading public television program on nature and wildlife.

The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices, digital and analog copiers (color and black and white) printers, scanners, facsimile machines, camcorders, cameras and lenses; semiconductor, broadcast and medical equipment. Canon Americas employs 12,000 people at more than 30 facilities throughout North, Central, South America and the Caribbean.

For more information about the Canon Envirothon, please visit the web site: www.envirothon.org.

2001 Canon Envirothon

Hinds Community College â Raymond, Mississippi

6:15 p.m. Group Photo - Football Practice Field

6:30 p.m. â 7:45 p.m. Opening Ceremony - Mayo Complex

8:00 p.m. â 9:00 p.m. Trading Session / Social - Outside Mayo

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. In-the-Field Station Training â Lefleur's Bluff/Natural Science Museum

5:00 p.m.â 8:45 p.m. MISSISSIPPI NIGHT, Mississippi Agricultural Museum

8:15 a.m. Load Buses to Testing Site (Not disclosed until 7/26)

9:00 a.m.â 4:00 p.m. In-the-Field Testing

4:30 p.m. â 9:00 p.m. Rapids Water Park Cool Down

Friday - July 27 Students spend all day preparing case study presentations to solve urban non-point source pollution management challenge

8:30 a.m. â 12:00 Noon Preliminary Rounds of Oral Presentations Conducted

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. Presentation, Canon National Parks Science Scholar / Top Five Teams Announced - Mayo

1:30 p.m. â 4:30 p.m. Final Rounds Begin - Mayo

7:00 p.m. â 9:00 p.m. Awards Presentation - Mayo

9:00 p.m. â 12:00 p.m. Dessert Reception/ Dance - Dining Hall

http://www.envirothon.org

http://www.usa.canon.com

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