TORRANCE, Calif., March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh water
is a precious resource, something that is a vital part of daily
life and sustainability. But steps must be taken now to ensure that
the supply isn't depleted at such a rapid rate. Toyota realizes
this importance and, for the fourth consecutive year, is partnering
with the Wyland Foundation to sponsor the National
Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation.
Mayors across the country and their citizens can sign up at
www.mywaterpledge.com from April 1-30,
2015, and commit to decreasing their water usage and energy
consumption. Support at the local level is vital to bring awareness
to this national issue, and cities – divided into one of five
categories based on population – will compete to garner the highest
percentage of its residents to take part. Hundreds of eco-friendly
prizes will be awarded, including a Toyota Prius v to the
grand-prize winner.
Residents from more than 3,600 cities participated in last
year's Mayor's Challenge, and mayors from all parts of the country
already have signed on for 2015 – from Tucson and San
Diego out west to Gainesville,
Fla., and Pittsburgh in the
east, as well as Plano, Texas –
home to Toyota's new North American headquarters. In addition to
prizes for individuals, winning cities also will receive a
high-tech package of WaterSmart Software tools exclusively for
water utilities to help reduce resident water consumption up to 5
percent. One additional winning city will receive a water-efficient
landscape makeover for a local park or school.
Students and teachers can take part in the pledge, too, by
accessing a special section of the website
(http://www.mywaterpledge.com/campaign/kids-campaign-2015/). Once
there, teachers can download lesson plans relating to water
conservation, make the pledge on behalf of their classes and enter
to win classroom supplies and gift cards for their school.
"One person alone can't solve this problem," said Wyland – a
renowned artist and conservationist who also serves as president of
the Wyland Foundation. "That's what makes the grassroots nature of
the Mayor's Challenge so unique. We're unifying as one nation to
minimize the impact for future generations."
In 2014, Dallas was the
top-ranked city in the 600,000-and-over population standings. To
recognize the city's efforts for sustainability, an event kicking
off the 2015 Mayor's Challenge will take place there April 9 at Nancy J. Cochran Elementary School.
Dignitaries – including Dallas
Mayor Mike Rawlings, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, Wyland
and Kevin Butt, regional environmental director at Toyota
Motor Engineering and Manufacturing – will preside over the
groundbreaking for an outdoor classroom and student gardens at the
school (donated by the Wyland Foundation) that will incorporate new
water-efficiency techniques and native plants.
One of the world's leading eco-friendly vehicles, the Toyota
Prius v, also will be showcased at the event, as well as the Wyland
Clean Water Mobile Learning Experience – an interactive
1,000-square-foot experience on wheels that has been on a national
tour in support of the challenge. The traveling water exhibition
includes science exhibits and computer models geared toward
teaching students in grades 4-8 about water conservation.
As national presenting sponsor of the Mayor's Challenge, Toyota
places a high priority on creating an environmentally sustainable
future. The company has long been a company dedicated to preserving
the planet's natural resources. In fiscal-year 2014 alone, Toyota
saved more than 93 million gallons of water in North America by practicing a sticking to a
simple three-pronged strategy: reduce, reuse and recycle. And to
that end, since opening in 2007, the company's assembly plant in
San Antonio, Texas, has used about
1.9 billion gallons of recycled water instead of drawing fresh
water from a nearby aquifer.
"We're committed to finding ways to use less water and recycle
more," Butt said. "That's true not only for the vehicles we produce
but also for all of our facilities. And it's something we will
continue to strive for each day."
Last year, residents from more than 3,600 cities in all 50
states pledged to:
- Reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by nearly a
billion gallons;
- Reduce waste sent to landfills by 1.4 billion pounds; and
- Prevent more than 70 million pounds of hazardous waste from
entering our watersheds.
Other program supporters include: the U.S. EPA's Office of
Water, National League of Cities, U.S. Forest Service, The Toro
Company, WonderGroveKids.com, Bytelaunch.com and WaterSmart
Software.
About the Wyland Foundation
Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his
series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland
Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is actively engaged in
teaching millions of students around the county about our ocean,
rivers, lakes streams, and wetlands. The foundation's latest
project, FOCUS (Forests, Oceans, Climate – and us) brings together
the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, and numerous non-profits to teach
young people about the future of our water supplies, climate, and
global health. www.wylandfoundation.org
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top
automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building
vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and
Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 25
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants and
directly employ more than 40,000 people. Our 1,800 North American
dealerships sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks in 2013 –
and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20
years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As
part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.
For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales