Volunteers included Toyota Prius owners, and Toyota employees and executives including Katsuhito Ohno, the head of Toyota Spain. Together with Manuel de Juan, Managing Director of Grupo Negocios and Enrique Segovia, Manager for Conservation at WWF Espana, Mr Ohno welcomed the participants and reminded them of the importance of actions like this.
Speaking later to La Gaceta, Mr Ohno said: “Working on restoring the forest’s memory fills us with hope.” Despite the carmaker's considerable efforts to develop eco-friendly technologies for a sustainable mobility, Toyota knows that more can be done to help protect the planet. "It is part of our philosophy, our essence, to reach a balance between progress and environmental protection,” explained Mr Ohno. “We consider it is fundamental that we act to conserve our forests and recover natural spaces.”
Mr Ohno confirmed that the current economic crisis will not affect Toyota’s commitment to projects such as this one. The partnership with WWF and La Gaceta is "an honour" for Toyota, said Mr Ohno and Toyota Spain, in cooperation with WWF, has committed to support this project until at least 2012. Prius owners who share Toyota’s environmental values will be invited to join in future projects.
Also speaking to La Gaceta, Juan Carlos del Olmo, General Secretary of WWF Espana, reinforced his organisation’s belief that actions such as Toyota’s are important to addressing the problem of climate change while balancing the need for sustainable development. “We can work on protecting the planet, pursuing sustainable development and raising society’s awareness that everything remains possible," he told La Gaceta.
