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Toyota and Wyland Foundation Recognize 30 Environmental Heroes in Southern California

TORRANCE, Calif. (April 24, 2012) – Toyota and the Wyland Foundation are proud to congratulate the winners of the 2012 Earth Month Heroes, a Southern California program created by the organizations to annually recognize 30 exemplary citizens who find ground-breaking ways to work toward sustaining a healthy planet. The Wyland Foundation, Toyota and regional broadcast partner KCBS / KCAL will make donations of $250 on behalf of the Earth Month Heroes to deserving organizations in Southern California, with a $1,000 grand prize donation, to support local conservation efforts. For the full list of Earth Month Heroes, visit http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/earth-month-heroes/.

This is the second year of Earth Month Heroes in Southern California. Individuals of all ages from the areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura counties, north San Diego County and the Inland Empire were selected by the Wyland Foundation after an open nomination process by neighbors, colleagues and peers throughout February and March for their environmental achievements. The 2012 grand prize winner is Dency Nelson, an early local organizer of activities during the first Earth Day in 1970. Nelson was chosen for his lifetime efforts to raise the profile of sustainable living in urban environments, and is a founding member of Plug In America, a non-profit public charity that promotes emissions-free driving.

"Toyota is honored to support the 2012 Earth Month Heroes, all of whom are demonstrating how one person truly can make a difference to help our planet,” said Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy and community affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “We salute their efforts, and encourage others to follow their lead by finding impactful ways to preserve our environment and natural resources.”

“We received so many incredible nominees for the Earth Month Heroes program this year, it was difficult to select 30,” said artist Wyland. “We’re delighted to celebrate their environmental spirit by making donations in their names, and also thank Toyota and KCBS/KCAL for their support – their contributions have helped us generate awareness about the importance of conservation to protect our environment both for today and the future.”

Toyota’s support of the Wyland Foundation, a non-profit founded by renowned environmental, marine artist Wyland, is part of the automobile company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. This year, Toyota also supported the Wyland Foundation in hosting the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, March 30 – April 30, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. With support from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the campaign challenged mayors nationwide to inspire their residents to conserve natural resources by taking a free, online pledge to save water. Participants in the city that registers the most pledges within the Challenge dates will be eligible to win a variety of prizes, including the new Toyota Prius c, which has an EPA-estimated city fuel economy rating of 53 miles per gallon. To take the free online pledge, visit www.mywaterpledge.com.

In addition to its support of the Wyland Foundation, Toyota engages the public through a variety of environmental initiatives and activities as part of the company’s commitment to impactful environmental stewardship. One of Toyota’s key environmental initiatives is TogetherGreen™, a five-year program funded by a $20 million Toyota grant to the National Audubon Society that aims to inspire people to take action to improve the health of the environment. For the past 14 years Toyota has also partnered with the National Environmental and Education Foundation (NEEF) to support National Public Lands Day (NPLD), held annually in September, and is the largest, hands-on volunteer event to improve and enhance public lands. Recently the partnership expanded to include “Every Day” grants to community-based organizations.

Courtesy of Toyota Media

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Toyota Working On Mood-Sensing Cars

We may soon be able to drive cars that will know if we’ve had a rough day or whether we’re about to fall asleep behind the wheel.

That’s the premise of new mood-sensing technology Toyota is working on in an effort to build safer cars.

We first brought you details on the technology back in 2006 but since then it has been built into a working model that can identify the emotional state of a driver and react if necessary.

Some of the actions the system can take include producing more safety reminders if the driver seems distracted or even directly controlling a vehicle either by braking or steering to avoid an obstacle.

An angry driver, for example, could be alerted of a potential hazard such as a child crossing the road much earlier than a driver who is in a calm or neutral state. Additionally, the system can detect which direction the driver is facing so could warn of a hazard located in the opposite direction that the driver is looking in.

The technology works by using sensors that take readings from 238 separate points all over the driver’s face and calculates the emotion from them all equally. This means that it will work even if a driver’s face is partially covered, such as when he or she is wearing sunglasses. The technology is even being enhanced so that it can recognize what a driver is doing, such as looking at their phone or controlling the radio, and then offer to help so that the driver can stay focused on the road.

Speaking with What Car?, one of the technology’s lead developers at Toyota, Jonas Ambeck, explained that the technology is still in its infancy though we could see some elements of it in Toyota’s cars in around six years.

SOURCE: motorauthority.com

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