Published 08-02-04
Submitted by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
--Irv Miller, Group Vice President, Corporate
More about Toyota's environmental efforts can be found at www.toyota.com/environment
Communications Department, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Prius wins industrial design gold medal and Engine of the Year Award
The Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain won recognition as International Engine of the Year at the International Engine of the Year Awards 2004 in Stuttgart, Germany. Prius also won Best Engine in its displacement category, Best Fuel Economy, and Best New Engine.
This October, Prius will receive a Gold Award at the 2004 Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition, presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and sponsored by BusinessWeek. Judged by non-affiliated designers, the award criteria include design innovation, benefit to the user, benefit to the client/business, ecological responsibility, aesthetics, and appeal.
Toyota's achievements in "green building"
Toyota has entered into a partnership with the nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation, donating four Prius hybrid cars in recognition and support of the Park's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. Use of the vehicles will help educate many of Yellowstone's three million annual visitors about hybrid technology and the Park's commitment to explore new and innovative technologies to protect, manage, and preserve its natural resources. The cars will be highly visible, wrapped in striking photographic images portraying Yellowstone's extraordinary animal species.
Toyota helps plant trees in Michigan
Toyota Technical Center, USA, (TTC) and Toyota affiliate Calty Design Research, are donating $10,000 to help finance a Rotary Club-led community service campaign to replace thousands of ash trees devastated by the Emerald Ash Borer in Ann Arbor, MI. The donation will be presented in conjunction with the grand opening of Calty's new Satellite Design Studio on TTC's campus in Ann Arbor.
Toyota HQ recycling involves Associates, municipalities, community groups
On Earth Day 2004, Associates at Toyota's Torrance, California headquarters saved unused cell phones from landfills by donating them to family crisis centers. Other campus recycling programs include drop-off boxes for dead batteries at all reception desks, an extensive office paper recycling program, and widely distributed receptacles for plastic, aluminum, and glass beverage containers. Earlier this year, Toyota Associates and the community at large collected three large dumpsters of tires for safe disposal. Most recently, Toyota hosted a round up of electronic items such as computers, monitors, printers, and televisions for recycling and disposal in partnership with the City of Torrance. Since 1999, more than 1.4 million pounds of computers have been recycled by Toyota at its headquarters campus.
For questions or information, contact Cindy Knight at (310) 381-4851 or by e-mail at cindy_knight@toyota.com. Produced by Robert Oberhand & Assoc., Chatsworth, CA, in conjunction with Toyota Corporate Communications Department
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.
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