Torrance, Calif. – September 23, 2011 – Dozens of Toyota team members in Southern California will celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) this year on September 24, by working together to clean and protect several public areas in the region. These volunteers are just some of the hundreds of Toyota volunteers who will participate in National Public Lands Day at dozens of sites this year, from Tupelo, Mississippi to Venice, Calif.

 

The work that Toyota volunteers will do in Southern California to mark National Public Lands Day includes:

National Public Lands Day, a project of the national Environmental Education Foundation, was established in 1994 to carry on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a program to revive communities and create opportunities for employment following the Great Depression.  Now in its 18^th year, National Public Lands Day draws tens of thousands of volunteers to sites across the country. The program has grown since its inception to educate Americans about critical environmental and natural resource issues and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands. Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at more than 2,080 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories.

 

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. has sponsored the National Public Lands Day program for the past 13 years. In addition to its sponsorship, for over a decade Toyota has also encouraged its employees to get involved in NPLD activities throughout the nation by helping to care for parks, forests, rivers, beaches, shorelines and other public lands.

For the 2010 National Public Lands Day, more than 3,500 Toyota employees volunteered at 41 different public land areas in 19 states and U.S. territories.

 

Toyota operates under a Global Earth Charter which was set forth to promote environmental responsibility for every aspect of the company and significantly reduce the impact that Toyota’s vehicles have on the planet. Sponsorship of national and regional environmental preservation projects is just one of many areas in which Toyota has proven its environmental stewardship. The company created the world’s first mass-produced, clean-running gas/electric hybrid car, the Prius, whose family of vehicles now includes the current third-generation Toyota Prius and Prius Plug-in vehicle (PHV), the Prius v midsize hybrid-electric vehicle and the Prius c Concept vehicle. Additionally, both the Camry and Highlander models are also available with hybrid engines. Toyota estimates that since it was introduced, the Prius versus the average car has prevented more than nine million tons of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere and conserved approximately 650 million gallons of gas.

“Toyota is committed to protecting our natural resources and works in a number of capacities to achieve a cleaner, healthier environment. Our team members personally contribute to the overall goal of preserving public lands for current and future generations. It gives us great pride to be a part of this year’s volunteer effort.”

–Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.