Actor Lance Gross joins Toyota Green Initiative, "green" thought-leaders and influencers to celebrate and promote eco-consciousness and sustainability during SWAC Football Championship

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Dec 04, 2014, 08:00 ET

TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT:	This year, Toyota, through the Toyota Green Initiative (TGI), celebrates its four-year partnership with the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) football championship. TGI serves as an environmental awareness program targeting members of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to adopt an eco-conscious lifestyle. To kick-off the SWAC championship activities, TGI and Texas Southern University will host a panel discussion focused on green living and sustainability. Following the panel discussion, TGI has planned a day of community service activities at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston.

WHO:	Jim Colon, vice president, African-American Business Strategy, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
	TGI Coalition Members:
	Lance Gross, actor, photographer and eco-living enthusiast
	Pandora Thomas, Earthseed Consulting founder
	Yoli Ouiya, green lifestyle blogger
	Will Witherspoon, former NFL athlete, sustainable farm owner
	Lake Louise, "eco-preneur," owner of SMB Essentials
	Stephen Graddick, IV, student ambassador, TGI campus contest winner 2011

WHEN:	Friday, December 5, 2014

WHERE:	TGI Connect
	11:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m. CT
	Local sustainability experts will engage in a panel discussion presented by TGI and Texas Southern University. Immediately following, guests will experience the TGI Connect Mix, an exclusive opportunity to continue the dialogue with TGI Coalition members and learn more about green living at the TGI Eco-Gallery.

	Texas Southern University
	Barbara Jordan – Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs
	3100 Cleburne Street
	Houston, TX 77004

	Media interviews will be available prior to the event beginning at 11:30 a.m.

	TGI Day of Service
	3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. CT
	Community service activities at the Boys & Girls Club where students and volunteers will have the opportunity to help "green" the Boys & Girls club by implementing a recycling program, updating the center with new energy efficient light bulbs, gardening and landscaping.

	Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston
	5950 Selinsky Rd.
	Houston, Texas 77048

About Toyota

Toyota, 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 built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ nearly 40,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more than 2.3 million cars and trucks in 2012 – 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. (NYSE:TM) For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

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SOURCE Toyota