Grant for environmental projects

To celebrate World Environment Day on the 5 June, Canon New Zealand is calling for entries to the Canon Environmental Grant, a $15,000 product grant awarded on an annual basis to facilitate environmental projects.

Individuals or organisations working on, or about to embark upon a project that will impact positively on New Zealand's environment should apply for the product grant via Canon's website by 31 August 2006.

"We know that in this area funding can be quite limited and resources are often stretched. Canon recognises the importance of having quality equipment to record, document, process and store work, and this is where we hope that the Canon Environmental Grant will help," Tony Wills, Canon New Zealand's managing director, said.

The Canon Environmental Grant for 2005 went to Antarctica New Zealand to facilitate an environmental impact monitoring program aimed at minimising the "˜footprint' of human activities in Antarctica.

"The grant has been invaluable in progressing our visitor site assessment scheme to determine if environmental impacts are occurring in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica as a result of regular human visitation. This scheme will enable us to provide informed advice to operators and regulators on actual or potential environmental impacts and means to mitigate such impacts," Jana Newman, environmental advisor for Antarctica New Zealand said.

"This monitoring work would not have been feasible without the generous support of Canon. The environmental grant has equipped our monitoring team with EOS20D cameras which have been used to carry out photo monitoring at key sites in the Ross Sea Region. These cameras are integral in this long term monitoring program, providing us with high resolution, awesome quality images and are a real helping hand in managing environmental impacts in Antarctica."

Canon stresses environmental protection both in its daily operations and through support activities. This includes operating what they claim to be the worlds largest toner cartridge return program, designing energy-efficient office equipment, removing 100% of the lead from its photographic lenses, and encouraging employees to adopt environmentally sound work practices.

"The successful applicant will be pleased to know that not only will they have the latest equipment to help them operate more effectively, but that the equipment "“ like all Canon products "“ has been designed with the environment in mind," Wills said.

For further information, please visit Canon