Canon (News - Alert) Canada and Canon USA are announcing the start of their annual Envirothon competition—which draws as many as 500,000 high school students from across North America who enjoy testing their environmental knowledge through a variety of written tests, field tests, and oral presentations.
Since 1997, Canon U.S.A. has been a sponsor of this yearly competition, which it describes as a natural outgrowth of its corporate philosophy of Kyosei— living and working together for the common good.
According to Colleen Ryan, senior director of Corporate Communications at Canon Canada, “We are thrilled to continue our support for programs like the Canon Envirothon because we truly believe that, today more than ever, it is important that teens receive a strong environmental education that prepares them to live and work responsibly.”
The Envirothon, which starts during the school year and culminates during the summer, works in partnership with local conservation districts, forestry associations, educators, and cooperating natural resource agencies to organize and conduct competitions on the local, regional, state, and provincial levels. Key partners include The (U.S.) National Association of Conservation Districts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Provincial Forestry Associations in Canada.
Five-member teams representing a school or organization are tested on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife, as well as a current environmental issue. This year, the issue will be salt- and fresh-water estuaries. The student teams, ranging from Grade 9 to Grade 12, have been preparing for months by classifying the different types of estuaries, discussing the historical and cultural importance of estuaries; and debating their economic, ecological, and social impacts.
The teams who perform the most impressively will have the opportunity to represent their province, territory, or state at the finals, to be held this year, July 24-27, at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.
The top 10 teams at Canon Envirothon are awarded Canon scholarships that can be used toward tuition at a four-year university, two-year college, or trade school. Other teams win Canon products, including cameras, camcorders, and other digital imaging solutions.
In 2010, the grand prize-winning students from Arlington High School, California, each won $25,000 in Canon scholarships, and more than 270 teenagers from nine Canadian provinces and 45 U.S. states made it to the finals.
However, many of the contestants at every level have a “winning experience” that will impact their lives. “I’ve participated in the Envirothon for three years and it has been a wonderful experience that will definitely help me in college and in my future career as a biologist,” commented Sarah Laros, a competitor from Maryland.
Educators also are enthusiastic. “The Envirothon is the most rewarding educational experience I’ve had in 19 years of teaching,” said Greg Turner, a teacher from Nova Scotia.
The 2012 Envirothon is in planning stages already. It will culminate at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
For more information on both the 2011 and 2012 competitions, visit Canon Envirothon.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
