Phase II of Toyota Eco Programme Concluded

Phase II of Toyota Eco Programme Concluded

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Since 2001, UMW Toyota Motor has a Toyota Eco Youth Programme which it organises in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The objective of this programme is to cultivate good habits and practices in environment preservation and conservation among the younger generation.

The programme is open to selected schools and last year, eight schools in the Klang Valley participated. The schools were required to assess their current environmental standings and work towards gradual improvement which can ultimately reduce the impact the schools have on the environment.

The approach is similar to what Toyota requires of its factories worldwide, setting high standards to minimize the impact of the process of making cars on the surrounding environment. Due to the nature of the many materials used in making cars, it is especially important that factories ensure that they do not pollute the neighbourhood and in the past few years, Toyota has demanded that every single on of its production facilities meet certain international standards pertaining to these issues.

Returning to the Toyota Eco Youth Programme in Malaysia, this year sees the second phase which concluded recently. This time, 15 schools participated (one from each state, including Labuan FT) and the best entries received special awards from UMW Toyota Motor. Their projects are also on display at MidValley MegaMall in Kuala Lumpur this weekend.

According to a statement from the company, the participating school teams had to participate in training sessions and attend a workshop when the programme was launched in April this year. The students were taught Quality Control Circle methodology which incorporates Kaizen (constant improvement) and elements of seven QC tools to help them in their project. Their projects would be verified and audited after submission.

Cash prizes were given to the top schools, ranging from RM7,000 for the first prize to RM1,000 for the fifth prize. There were also prizes for the best exhibit and best presentation during the exhibition at the shopping centre.,

In the context of the environment and protecting it, UMW Toyota Motor is also displaying a Toyota Prius, a sedan which has the Toyota Hybrid System of an electric motor and small petrol engine. Over 100,000 units have been sold since the unique environment-friendly car was introduced in late 1999.

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