Toyota’s New American Headquarters in Texas Delivers a Green Mission

Toyota sets goals for itself. Two years ago, it was the 2050 Environmental Challenge. With its new built headquarters in Plano, Texas this auto giant seems to be one step closer in reaching its very ambitious goal.                                                                                                                            Toyota Motor North America’s (TMNA) headquarters campus officially earned LEED Platinum status from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Executive director of USGBC Texas Chapter, Jonathan Kraatz, presented the prized Platinum plaque to Jim Lentz, TMNA president and chief executive officer, at the new campus. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. This campus is the largest commercial LEED Platinum project in the state of Texas.

“At Toyota, we have a longstanding commitment to sustainability and preserving our natural resources,” said Lentz. “With the installation of greenspaces, thousands of solar panels, a massive rain water capture system, and natural light wells, we have designed our new headquarters to reflect the local habitat and enhance its biodiversity. Recognition as a LEED Platinum facility is a testament of our efforts to become a model for energy efficiency and sustainability, and speaks to our challenge to ourselves to create a net positive impact on the planet by 2050.”

“USGBC is proud to award LEED Platinum to Toyota, for their thoughtfulness in their campus energy planning and space design as well as the overall net positive impact on the community and environment,” said Kraatz. “Our mission at USGBC has challenged organizations to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Toyota’s new Texas campus is a great example of what can be accomplished with the right leadership.”

Toyota’s campus has one of the largest installations among non-utilities companies in Texas. The system fulfills up to 33 percent of electric needs for the headquarters on a daily basis. Apart from this, the campus produces enough electricity for 1,200 average homes for a year.

The lightning in headquarters is also efficient. The usage of electricity is minimized. Also worth mentioning is the roof which is specially designed with plant life to protect the building and manage rainwater. There is a rain capture system that supplies water for irrigation which saves millions of gallons of drinkable water every year. The landscaping was also designed to be eco-friendly as well as tenable for the local climate. Toyota is definitely starting to get recognized for its positive impact on the environment.

This project was led by professionals including a host of Dallas-based firms: KDC Real Estate Development & Investments to develop and build the campus, architect Corgan Associates to design the campus, and Austin Commercial to manage the construction.
Toyota Motor Corporation declared the 2050 Toyota Environmental Challenge at the end of 2015.

To learn more about this, please visit:   http://www.toyotaglobal.com/sustainability/environment/challenge2050/.