Join the Green Party: Toyota Celebrates Four Year SWAC Partnership with Eco-Bash and Receives Corporate Champion Award during SWAC Basketball Tournament

TORRANCE, Calif.<, March 13, 2015 /3BL Media/ -- Houston volunteers are invited to join eco-mom, former WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie as she helps Toyota and the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) celebrate its four-year partnership.

Since 2009, the Toyota Green Initiative (TGI) – the automaker's environmental stewardship program – has proudly educated students, faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on the community benefits of sustainable living. TGI is continuing its journey to spread the word on the value of environmental awareness, so the group is using HBCU showcase SWAC basketball tournament in Houston as a platform for sharing that knowledge.

Leading up to the SWAC basketball finals, TGI will flex its philanthropic muscles during its day of service TGI Serve, where green enthusiasts and local volunteers are invited to help green the Boys & Girls Club at Finnigan Park (4900 Providence, Building C) onFriday, March 13 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm. TGI Coalition members, including Lisa Leslie will share their eco-platform and sustainability practices, while Houston's premier DJ and philanthropist DJ SupaStar keeps the party rocking.

"We're proud to partner with SWAC while providing resources that help promote sustainable living," said Jim Colon, vice president of African-American Business Strategy for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Our commitment to environmental progress extends throughout HBCU campuses and the surrounding communities."

In addition, the TGI coalition, a collection of celebrities and environmental experts who speak on relevant ways to go green, will be in attendance. Coalition members include: Charlotte–native and TGI Campus Contest Winner Stephen Graddick IV, environmental advocates Earthseed, SMB Essentials CEO Lake Louise, green blogger Yoli Ouiya and environmentalist and former NFL player Will Witherspoon.

This year, Toyota will also be receiving the SWAC Corporate Champion award based on its outstanding contribution to the overall mission of staging elite championships for its students and commitment to providing innovative partnerships and grassroots opportunities through its day of service.

"The SWAC is honored to award Toyota with the SWAC Corporate Champion award," said SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp. "Toyota has been a first-class partner for all of the SWAC schools. In addition to being our title partner for both the SWAC football and basketball championships, Toyota's commitment to incorporating green technology into the campuses has been outstanding."

About Toyota Green Initiative
Launched by Toyota in 2009, the Toyota Green Initiative is designed to educate students, faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on the benefits of adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

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 assembled more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 40,000 people (more than 32,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks (more than 2.2 million in the U.S.) 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.