Teachers Invited to Tour Galapagos Islands as Part of Toyota International Teacher Program

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 15, 2006Toyota is launching an exciting new chapter of its acclaimed Toyota International Teacher Program, with a fully funded, 10-day study tour for 20 teachers to the Galapagos Islands, Oct. 27 - Nov. 8, 2005, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. announced today.

Applications are currently being accepted from full-time secondary classroom teachers (grades 7-12) who work in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Washington D.C. Applications must be received by April 21, 2006 and teachers must be American citizens at the time of application. Full details and applications are available online at www.iie.org/programs/toyota.

"This study tour is designed to inspire secondary teachers of all subject areas to include environmental topics in their teaching curriculum," said Jim Press, president and COO, Toyota Motor Sales, USA. "They'll observe some of the world's most unique animals and ecosystem, and share their experiences with other educators and naturalists from Galapagos."

Toyota will cover all expenses associated with the trip, including transportation, meals, lodging and program materials. To help defray the cost of a teacher's absence, Toyota also will provide $500 to be used at the discretion of the school, either to help pay for a substitute teacher or purchase materials.

Toyota began working in Galapagos following the 2001 Jessica oil spill -- which resulted in 180,000 gallons infiltrating the waters surrounding the Galapagos Archipelago. In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, Toyota developed the Galapagos Energy Blueprint and created renewable energy workshops for Galapageno teachers.

Spanish is the official language of the Galapagos Islands, a province of Ecuador. The program is open to classroom teachers of all subjects and bilingual educators are encouraged to apply. However, Spanish language ability is not a program requirement and teachers of all language level abilities will be considered.

This marks the 8th year of the Toyota International Teacher Program. It is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C. -- a world leader in the exchange of people and ideas. Toyota's first international program, a two-week cultural and educational study tour in Japan, continues this year as well.

In 2005, Toyota USA invested more than $40 million in philanthropic efforts. In addition to supporting education organizations such as IIE, Toyota partners with the National Center for Family Literacy; provides grants for science teachers through its TAPESTRY program; and distributes scholarships through Toyota Community Scholars, UNCF, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the U.S. Marine Corps, National FFA, and the American Indian College Fund. For more information about Toyota's community outreach efforts, visit www.toyota.com/community

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.