Toyota Canada commemorates World Environment Day with an updated corporate environmental policy and by celebrating Toyota hybrids going mainstream

Environmentally-conscious contest winners to drive a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle for a week
(TORONTO) – The United Nations aims for World Environment Day to be the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. Toyota Canada is proud to support that vision today by highlighting a number of important initiatives and milestones that demonstrate the company’s unwavering commitment to helping the environment.
 
“We take great pride in the work of our associates who achieve excellence as stewards of environmental responsibility of our internal operations,” said Seiji Ichii, President of Toyota Canada Inc. “At the same time, we are proud that each month more Canadians are embracing hybrids as mainstream and recognizing the class-leading fuel efficiency now available in many options and packages.”
 
New Toyota Environmental Policy
In one of his first acts of green in his first six months as TCI’s new president and CEO Seiji Ichii renewed the company’s environmental policy. The policy affirms that everyone in the organization make sustainability a priority in all activities, including continuing to reduce the amount of waste material sent to landfill, taking action to deplete fewer natural resources, and preventing pollution by reusing and recycling wherever possible.
 
ISO 14001
The environmental leadership articulated in the new policy is backed by TCI’s longstanding record of ISO 14001 certification. This year marks the eleventh consecutive in which TCI has attained this globally recognized standard for environmental excellence. Among notable achievements, water consumption was reduced by 1.1 million gallons per year by eliminating regular lawn irrigation; a composting program enabled a 50% reduction in waste going to landfill; and, a commitment to recycling has resulted in 96% of company waste to be diverted from landfill.      
 
Hybrid Commitment
At Toyota, we’ve seen the demand to move hybrids to mainstream and as leaders in environmental sustainability, Toyota is committed to offering more fuel efficient vehicles that produce fewer CO2 emissions and reduce our environmental footprint. 
 
  • Globally, sales of Toyota Motor Corporation hybrids topped four million units as of April 30.
 
  • TMC calculates that TMC hybrid vehicles1, since 1997, have led to approximately 26 million fewer tons2 of CO2 emissions—considered to be a cause of climate change—than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.
 
  • In 2011, Toyota and Lexus hybrid sales accounted for 60% of Canada’s overall hybrid market, and hybrids accounted for almost 40% of TCI’s mid-size sales in the first quarter of 2012, while nearly one in five Lexus sales is a hybrid. In May, TCI’s hybrid sales increased by 329% vs May 2011 and as of May, more than 28,000 Prius vehicles had been sold in Canada. 
 
  • Toyota’s first hybrid – the Prius – began as an exploration of future technologies but has now evolved into a growing family to suit various consumer needs so there’s now a hybrid for everyone, including the 2012 Prius v, which claimed the title as Canada’s most fuel-efficient station wagon, making it 11 straight years that a Prius vehicle has won an ecoENERGY Award.
 
  • One of the newest members of the Prius family is the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV). It has the shortest charge time of any of its plug-in hybrid competitors, delivering about 25 kilometres of all-electric drive between charges, while providing the security of defaulting to full-hybrid drive.
 
Hybridizer
Earlier this spring, TCI launched hybridizer.ca, an online educational tool that allows Canadians to compare conventional gas-powered vehicles with cars like the Prius PHV. As part of that, a contest was conducted in which winners were chosen to drive a 2010 Prius PHV for a week. In order to qualify, contestants had to experience the hybridizer tool and then write an essay on why they should get to drive the Prius PHV.
 
The winners, who offered compelling reasons for why the Prius PHV is ideal for them, are:
 
  • Grady Sjokvist (BC) – feels the vehicle would be perfect for a round-trip commute 20 km and for taking his children to activities
 
  • Alexandre Lafontaine (QC) – believes the car is a perfect with his family’s lifestyle that’s based largely on sustainable choices
 
  • Paul Urquhart (ON) – sees the attractiveness of a win-win with helping the environment plus saving money on less gas
 
  • Phil Jacques (ON) – conducted a detailed cost and environmental analysis to conclude a “crystal clear” superior value proposition for the car
 
Toyota will continue throughout the year to play a role in making this country a greener place by offering hybrid options for all consumers, supporting green initiatives and minimizing our environmental footprint.
 
About Toyota Canada Inc.
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion cars, SUVs and trucks. Toyota Canada offers the most fuel efficient passenger car fleet in Canada, led by the industry’s largest selection of advanced technology vehicles such as the Toyota Prius. With a rich history of respect for the environment, Toyota Canada Inc. and its Dealerships align with like-minded organizations including the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program and through the Toyota Canada Foundation, Earth Day Canada, Scientists in School and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), to make things better where we live, work and play. Additionally, Toyota’s commitment to operating in harmony with the environment and sustainable mobility can be found here, in the Toyota North America Environmental Report. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver.

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