Wide Recognition for Toyota's Environmental Deeds

Motor Trend magazine has named the redesigned entire Camry line, including Camry Hybrid, as its 2007 Car of the Year. Similarly, Green Car Journal, a magazine that reports on advanced transportation, has named the 2007 Camry Hybrid its Green Car of the Year. And "Motor Week," a weekly television program that appears on PBS and the Speed Channel, has awarded its Driver's Choice Awards in the Eco-Friendly category to the entire Toyota Hybrid line: Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid.

These three awards offer recognition of how the Japanese automaker is taking environmental protection seriously, and at the same time is finding business booming as a result.

One of the jurors of the Green Car Journal competition, Jason Mark, vehicles director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, "The Camry not only protects the planet, it protects consumers' pocketbooks. It's one of the most cost-effective hybrids on the market."

In related news, Toyota has developed a prototype of the world's first fuel cell-powered forklift. Toyota Material Handling USA's FCHV-F uses hydrogen as its main power source, producing electricity without combustion and generating zero carbon dioxide emissions.

The truck's constant power delivery and performance make it ideally suited to operations in large distribution centers where lift trucks often run continual 24-hour shifts. Toyota plans to bring a fuel cell lift truck to market in the next few years.

Toyota also introduced its Renewable Lifestyle Vehicle concept at the December Los Angeles Auto Show. The RLV is a micro-sized open-canopy lightweight two-seater. Featuring an automatic electric drive, the RLV also allows the driver to hydraulically pedal the car in stop-and-go traffic, on the sidewalk, or on the beachside boardwalk. This concept demonstrates how a vehicle can facilitate a health-oriented active lifestyle in an urban environment.

The company recently announced two employee-initiated waste-reduction programs that it said highlight how Toyota's commitment to environmental environmental education and waste reduction have spread throughout the company.

After learning that the rate of recycling was dropping in New Jersey, Penny Creighton of Toyota's New York Parts Distribution Center (PDC) started a community outreach program to help reverse the trend. Local schools that implement a recycling program receive a grant for new books and a presentation on recycling and hybrid vehicles.

And in Los Angeles, Ernie Lopez and Roger McMullen of the Los Angeles PDC became concerned with the volume of auto glass going into landfills. The two performed lengthy research to find a glass recycling company willing to accept windshields and automotive tempered glass parts. Their efforts have resulted in the successful recycling of thousands of pounds of auto glass.