Videos of the Winner, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions can be viewed at www.lexushybridliving.com/lexusprize and www.youtube.com/lexusvehicles

 

TORRANCE, Calif., April 22, 2010 — The Lexus Eco Village at TED 2010, themed ?A Future of Less Carbon – A Brighter Future Because Tomorrow Deserves Nothing Less,? brought together eco visionaries of the Lexus Hybrid Living Community with visionaries of the TED community to collaborate on ideas for a world using less carbon.  Emphasis was placed on transportation, cuisine, sustainable cities and architecture. At the Lexus Eco Village, 50 TEDsters entered their ideas for carbon reduction through short videos and whiteboard displays for the opportunity to win a year?s lease of a Lexus HS 250h hybrid vehicle.

 

The Lexus HS 250h is the world?s first luxury vehicle available only with a hybrid engine.  With the highest fuel mileage of any luxury car sold in the U.S. and its vast array of innovative and luxury features, the Lexus HS 250h seamlessly combines luxury and sustainability.

 

?The Eco Village by Lexus represented what is sorely needed in industry today: leaders of technology looking towards the future for sustainable lifestyles,? said Paul Stamets, TED Speaker 2008, Mycologist, Author and Inventor of the LifeBox. ?The Eco Village became a magnet for great minds seeking community: an ecology of consciousness emerged over the five days of TED. I kept returning as I knew not only would I find smart, brilliant people, but that this company walks it talk. Although we may not have all the solutions now, the Eco Village became a rich mental landscape for experts and the inquisitive to share ideas – and some of these connections between Thought Leaders could lay the foundation for solutions so needed now. Plus I liked the car.?
 
The winning video, from John Ravitch, VP Global Business Development, IDEO, pitched the concept of ?One Dashboard for Life,? a single, consistent device that measures productivity and carbon output across all aspects of life ? vehicle, work, home.

 

?I love this concept,? said Sally Dominguez, Lexus Prize Judge, Spark Awards Judge, Inventor, Writer, Adjudicator and Founder, Rainwater HOG LLC, Bug Design & BeautifulUsefulGreen.  ?Simplicity is the key – simple living, simple communication.  This concept by default covers the talking appliance scenario plus the backatcha talking computer PLUS the vegan offset concept all in a neat and simple package.  GOLD!?

 

Notable TEDsters who entered their ideas into the Lexus Prize competition included some of the best minds in the sustainability movement as well as celebrities. The innovative concepts among the eleven finalists ranged from carbon labeling to increasing awareness of consumption habits; smart computers and smart homes that monitor energy usage; to the potential of games to change behavior towards greater sustainability.

 

The Lexus Prize Finalists include: Nikhil Bhojwani, Principal, The Boston Consulting Group; Ann Gentry, Founder, Real Food Daily; Kevin Surace, CEO, Serious Materials; Raina Kumra, Founding Director, The Agency for Holistic Branding; Rob Reid, CEO RipCam Media and Serial Entrepreneur; Ron Dembo, Founder, Zerofootprint; Michael Borosky, Founder, Creative Director, Eleven Inc.; David Hornik, General Partner, August Capital; Neil Izenberg, Founder, Chief Executive, and Editor-in-Chief, KidsHealth; and Tim Chang, Principal, Norwest Venture Partners.

 

The Lexus Prize Honorable Mentions include: William McDonough, Author, Cradle to Cradle; Paul Stamets, TED Speaker 2008, Mycologist, Author and Inventor of the LifeBox; Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University and Co-Founder of the Heroic Imagination Project; Steve Glenn, Founder of LivingHomes; Whitney Mortimer, VP Marketing, IDEO; Chris Colfer and the cast of Glee; Claire Munn, representing Donna Karan?s Urban Zen Foundation; Mark Dwight, Founder, Rickshaw Bagworks; Jeremy Black, Co-Founder, Sambazon; Akasha Richmond, Founder, Akasha Restaurant.

 

The Lexus Prize was judged by a panel of experts in sustainable design from the Spark Awards, www.sparkawards.com, including Kit Hinrichs, Principal, Studio Hinrichs; Dan Sturges, IntraGo transportation solutions; Sally Dominguez, Inventor, Writer, Adjudicator and Founder, Rainwater HOG LLC, Bug Design & BeautifulUsefulGreen; Ted Howes, who leads IDEO’s efforts in integrating sustainability and business; and from Lexus, Nancy Hubbell, Director of the Lexus Eco Challenge.

 

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Videos of the Winner, Finalists and Honorable Mentions can be viewed at www.lexushybridliving.com/lexusprize and www.youtube.com/lexusvehicles.

 

About Lexus
With its reputation for high-quality products and exemplary customer service from its 228 dealers, Lexus has been the top-selling luxury automaker for ten years in a row.  In addition, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader, now offering four hybrids that provide the best in innovative technology and first-class luxury, with a fifth hybrid, the CT 200h, on the way.  When Lexus was established in 1989, it offered two models of vehicles.  Now, more than 20 years later, Lexus offers variations of 11 vehicles, from the entry-level IS 250 to its first V10 supercar, the LFA.

 

About Lexus Hybrid Living
Lexus Hybrid Living encompasses a sustainable lifestyle, offering a full array of eco luxury options from like-minded visionaries in design, architecture, cuisine, fashion, health, beauty and travel. For more information, visit www.Lexus.com/hybridliving.

 

About The Lexus Eco Challenge
The Lexus Eco Challenge is a life?changing opportunity for teens across the nation to make a difference in the environmental health of our planet, one community at a time. Nancy Hubbell, director of the Lexus Eco Challenge, served on the Lexus Prize jury. For more information visit www.scholastic.com/lexus.

 

About Spark Awards
The Spark Awards promote great design and designers and encourage people to explore their creativity. Graphics, product design, transportation and architecture are just a few of the many design categories accepted. For more information, visit www.sparkawards.com.

 

About TED
TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with the annual TED Conference in Long Beach, California, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK, TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Program, the new TEDx community program, this year’s TEDIndia Conference and the annual TED Prize. For more information, visit www.ted.com.

 

For More Information: Articulate Design – 415-668-6148
Kevin George – [email protected]
Sally Vandershaf – [email protected]