TORRANCE, Calif., October 13, 2011 – Toyota and Lexus are once again celebrating the entertainment industry’s environmental efforts as the presenting sponsors of the Environmental Media Awards on Saturday, Oct. 15. In its 21^st year, the annual event honors film and television productions that communicate environmental messages in the most creative and influential ways. This year’s honorees are actor and musician Justin Timberlake, communications executive Marc Nathanson, Southern California Edison, and the Producer’s Guild of America’s environmental initiative – PGA Green. The nominees include films such as Yogi Bear, Disneynature African Cats and The Other Guys, and TV programs such as The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Biggest Loser and Futurama. This year marks Lexus and Toyota’s 11^th year as the presenting sponsors.

“More than a decade ago, Toyota and Lexus joined forces with the Environmental Media Association to help communicate the benefits of hybrid technology.  It’s inspiring to see how EMA links the power of celebrity and the influence of entertainment to environmental awareness,” said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president and secretary of Toyota Motor North America. “We congratulate the nominees and special honorees, and we thank you for continuing to convey environmental messages and actions in creative and influential ways.” 

The Toyota and Lexus line-up of hybrid vehicles will be featured at the ceremony at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif. Attendees will get a preview of several Toyota vehicles before they go on sale, including the all-new Prius v, 2012 Camry Hybrid, 2012 Prius Plug-in and the second-generation RAV4 EV prototype. On October 15, interested customers can begin signing up for updates on the RAV4 EV production vehicle coming in 2012 by visiting http://www.toyota.com/rav4ev. In addition, the Lexus CT 200h, the world’s first premium luxury compact hybrid, the RX 450h and LS 600h L, as well as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid will be on display.        

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is a member of the Environmental Media Association’s Corporate Board. 

For more information on Toyota and Lexus environmental initiatives, please visit www.toyota.com/about/environment. 

To view live tweets from the Environmental Media Awards starting around 6 PM PT on October 15, follow www.twitter.com/toyota and www.twitter.com/lexus with the hashtag #EMA2011, and for the first time ever, the Environmental Media Awards will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/EMAOnline.