High school students from across the U.S. and Canada will convene July 18 - 24 in Springfield, Missouri, to participate in North America's largest high school environmental education competition. Participants will learn about environmental issues affecting natural resources as they compete for awards in the 2005 Canon Envirothon.

The 18th annual gathering of high school students interested in gaining a better understanding of conservation will be held at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.

Fifty-one teams, 44 from the U.S. and seven from Canada, involving more than 250 students will compete in the 2005 Canon Envirothon for a share of the US $75,000 in college scholarships and prizes.

Organized through the National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S. and The Canadian Forestry Association, the competition tests teams on knowledge of soils/land use, forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife and this year's current issue of managing cultural landscapes (natural and cultural heritage are inextricably bound together and the conservation approach could benefit from more integration).

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, five-member teams from schools and organizations competed for the distinction of representing their state or province 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 oral presentation skills are evaluated as each team offers a panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving an environmental challenge that will be presented during the competition.

This is the ninth year the competition is sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ). Canon delivers consumer, business-to-business and industrial imaging solutions. Canon works to protect the environment through the award-winning Canon Clean Earth Campaign that encompasses the development of energy-efficient office products, equipment remanufacturing and materials reuse, the protection of endangered species and the encouragement of environmental education through the company's corporate social responsibility efforts and employee volunteerism. For more information: www.usa.canon.com/environment.

U.S. and Canadian schools/organizations participating in the 2005 Canon Envirothon appear below.

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2005 Canon Envirothon

Canadian Province City/Town School/Organization

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

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