Toyota Earns the Gold For New Green Buildings

New Complex Largest Ever to Earn Award

TORRANCE, Calif., April 22 -- The largest "green" building complex in the United States officially opened its doors for business today as part of Earth Day celebrations at the headquarters of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.

The project received a Gold Level Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(TM)) Green Building rating system. The complex, the largest ever to receive a LEED(TM) Gold rating, has 624,000 square feet of office space and will initially house about 2,000 Toyota associates.

"Office buildings have a significant impact on the environment, using about one-third percent of the electricity and 12 percent of the drinking water in the U.S.," said Christine Ervin USGBC President & CEO. "Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the environmental impact buildings have, while also enhancing the overall work environment. This complex demonstrates what can be accomplished when concern for the environment plays a role in every aspect of the design and building process."

Toyota elected to pursue LEED(TM) certification for the new complex as part of the company's Earth Charter guidelines established in 1992, calling on the company to reduce its impact on the environment in every aspect of its business. Building a green complex, however, also had to be based on smart business practices.

"Every decision along the way also had to make good business sense and fall within budget guidelines," said Robert Pitts, Toyota group vice president for administrative services. "We wanted to show that building an environmentally sensitive office complex does not have to be limited to small or unique projects -- or ones with inflated budgets."

  Some of the keys to earning "Gold" certification include:
  -- The widespread use of materials with recycled content.  The project
     achieved a 95 percent recycled content based on LEED(TM) calculations
     including more than 250 miles of reinforced steel used throughout the
     complex -- made up primarily of recycled automobiles.
  -- One of the largest commercial solar electric systems in North America.
     The system, developed by PowerLight Corporation, generates enough
     electricity during the day to power more than 500 homes and greatly
     reduces the complex's demand on the local utility grid load during peak
     hours.
  -- The installation of a special pipeline by the West Basin Municipal
     Water District to supply recycled water to the complex for cooling,
     landscaping and restroom flushing.  Combined with other efforts to
     reduce potable water consumption, the complex is expected to conserve
     more than 11 million gallons of drinking water a year, enough to supply
     about 68 homes annually.
  -- Energy-efficiency features such as direct-indirect lighting, high
     efficiency insulation and thermally insulated glass help the complex
     exceed State of California energy efficiency targets by more than
     20 percent.

The complex also features a hydrogen fueling and service station to support Toyota's fuel cell vehicle development program. The station, built in partnership with Stuart Energy, is the first of six planned by Toyota for California as part of its efforts to create a fuel cell community in conjunction with government industry and educational organizations.

Toyota worked with a number of companies in pursuit of the LEED certification, including LPA Inc., the architectural firm that designed the complex, CTG Energetics, Inc., a sustainable design consulting firm, and Turner Construction Company, the general contractor.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. (TMS) is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota and Lexus in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of nearly 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries are also involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, R&D and general aviation. The company's main Web site is http://www.toyota.com/ .