Have you noticed? Here and there around the city,
we have already begun implementing some of the standards of tomorrow.
Take cars, for example. Hybrid cars are a given,
but you will also find plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and electric cars (EVs) on the city roads,
and more recently, ultra-mini electric vehicles and fuel cell powered buses.
There are more homes using solar energy. Have you heard of “smart houses”?
These houses provide excellent environmental performance,
making highly efficient use of solar power energy.
In the Higashiyama and Takahashi districts,
citizens are helping us carry out special verification trials of these smart houses.
It is our goal to become a town with a low-carbon footprint,
while still maintaining comfortable life styles.
Visitors to Toyota Eco-ful Town can experience first-hand life styles of the future.
This kind of city center is supported by a rich natural
environment. The Asuke district is home to the Suge-no-sato Lodge,
a base for exchange between urban areas and highland villages.
Here, visitors can experience country living that takes full advantage of natural resources
like solar energy, geo-thermal energy,
and timber from forest thinning. In addition,
our Tokai Upland Spring-fed Mires have been registered with the Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands. This was made possible because of a high regard
for the long years of dedicated conservation efforts
by citizens to protect the plants and animals unique to the special environment of wetlands.

Public transport has never been so convenient.

Cars are convenient, but relying too much on them creates concerns about our carbon footprint.
Thus, we are working on the enhancement of our public transport system to provide a convenient means of transportation
for commuters, students and senior citizens. Making good use of the Oiden Bus traveling the main bus routes
and the local buses of our various communities lessens the burden on our environment.
Using the Park-and-Ride parking provided for railway users helps alleviate traffic congestion as people head for city centers.

Encouraging widespread use of next-generation cars in the City of Cars

It is exactly because Toyota is the City of Cars that we are encouraging more widespread use of next-generation cars.
This includes making subsidies available to make it easier to purchase plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).
Essential to this effort is the enhancement of recharging facilities, some of which actually run on solar energy.
Even a hydrogen station, necessary for fuel cell vehicles, can be found in Toyota Eco-ful Town.

We are promoting new forms of mobility

Toyota City is involved in the Ha:mo project, a system aimed at the optimal combination of cars, a personal
form of mobility, with public transport, thus creating a user-friendly form of mobility that is beneficial to the individual, the city,
and society at large. We are promoting the realization of comfortable, environmentally friendly forms of mobility,
with such projects as a navigation system to assist users in creating the most efficient combination of trains,
buses, or other transport modes, and an ultra-mini-EV car and electric motor assisted bicycle sharing service.
In this way, we create the Smart Mobility of the future.

Healthy woodlands create peace of mind in our daily lives.

Envisioning the forests we hope to see 100 years from now, we have embarked on a project to clean up artificially planted forests
within a 20-year span and restore the health of our forests.
This is our 100-year forest legacy concept. Trees planted too close together become weak if nothing is done.
Thinning these forests and creating room for the sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor is essential for the health of the forest.
With roots taking firm hold, the forest will be stronger and better able to withstand rain and wind.
Simply put, these forests become a strong defense against landslides.
A healthy forest will also help transform rainwater into a good-tasting underground water resource.
It goes without saying that lush forests are also an essential part of the fight against global warming.
We also make good use of the timber from forest thinning. One example is the Asahi Timber Station Project.
People who bring timber cut from a tree thinning activity to the Timber Station can receive “Mori” (Forest) vouchers
which can be used as a local currency within the community.
Creating healthy highlands brings vitality to our highland villages, while also promoting the more widespread use of timber.
In line with this, we also encourage the construction of public facilities from wood.
We hope that all visitors to these facilities will feel the warmth exuded by a wooden structure and be reminded of the beauty of our forests.

Thinking about the environment and energy of the future

With the automotive industry at the core of industrial activity in Toyota City, the city leads the country in manufacturing skills and
we remain steadfast in our dedication to this.
Along with this, the most advanced enterprises and organizations from the automotive, energy and housing sectors are working
together in collaboration on the Toyota City Low-Carbon Society Verification Project. This project promotes a more efficient use of energy,
considering the entire range of everyday life and linking all facets of our life, from the home to mobility and destination.

Renewable energy from Toyota City

Blessed with a rich and abundant natural environment, Toyota City is aiming to become the hometown of renewable energy.
Thus, we work to foster the participation of local enterprises in the renewable energy business
and provide assistance to both citizens and enterprises interested in actively introducing renewable energy sources.
We are also creating a healthy Toyota City by utilizing local renewable energy resources.

Environmentally friendly approaches at our manufacturing sites

Assistance in the form of subsidies and other means are provided to enterprises building sustainable plants which include
environmentally friendly features such as solar energy and energy efficient equipment. Assistance is also provided to enterprises
implementing measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the work site.

Thinking about the environment and energy of the future

The home is the center of our life style. At the same time, it is also the place where huge amounts of energy are consumed every day.
This is why spreading use of the “smart house” is so essential to making progress with ecology measures.
Thus, we also provide subsidies for the installation of solar energy, fuel cell batteries, storage batteries
and HEMS (Home Energy Management System). HEMS is a system that links and provides optimal control of home air conditioning
and other energy-efficient equipment, solar panels and energy storage devices. At Toyota Eco-ful Town,
citizens can learn about specific ways they can remodel their own home into a “smart house.”

The more points you receive, the more you contribute to the environment

We have created a system based on the desire to contribute to the environment through our actions in everyday life.
We hand out Eco-family cards to citizens making an “Eco-family Pledge”. Toyota Eco-points are awarded
whenever an eco-family member takes recyclable resources such as plastic bottles to a recycling station, uses the bus, or engages
in other everyday behavior that is environmentally friendly. These Eco-points can then be exchanged for eco goods.
This system makes it fun to follow an environmentally friendly life style.