TORRANCE, Calif. – The Lexus Eco Challenge has inspired and empowered more than 15,000 middle and high school students to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. This fall, students are invited to participate in the fourth annual Lexus Eco Challenge for a chance to win part of $500,000 in grants and scholarships. Lexus, the luxury automaker, has once again joined with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to create the eco-friendly educational school program.

“The Lexus Eco Challenge has helped change the way I teach,” said Debbie Viertel, a teacher from Lawton Chiles Middle School in Lakeland, Fla. “By giving my students a real-world challenge, they come up with something they care about. Then they learn all the things I want them to learn in math and science, but the difference is that now they care. It’s a wonderful program.”

Last year’s grand-prize-winning high school team set a new standard when they reached beyond the border and focused their project on helping Haiti. Not only did they build a solar-powered biodiesel production system, they worked with representatives from a school in Haiti to plant a Jatropha Farm to grow seeds that generate oil for the biodiesel system. In addition to giving the biodiesel system to the Haitian school, they also arranged for solar panels to be donated and installed at the school.

“The students at Mother McAuley High School really captured the spirit of the Lexus Eco Challenge,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “When we launched this initiative in 2007, we wanted to see it grow and expand to make a positive impact all around the world. Every year, we see more innovation, more creativity and more passion from the students and their teachers. We can’t wait to see what the teams do this year.”

Source: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/lexus/lexus-eco-challenge-makes-an-international-169792.aspx