Lexus’ advanced line of green hybrids and low-emissions vehicles is impressive, but some of their most important work takes the form of the Lexus Eco Challenge, an incredible competition designed to inspire and empower a whole new generation of environmentalists.

Lexus’ third annual Eco Challenge gives bright and ambitious young people across the country the opportunity to learn more about the environmental issues that impact their communities and their world, and develop creative new action plans for solving them. Lexus’ innovative and inspiring program is open to teams of 5-10 middle or high school students (under the guidance of a teacher advisor), and rewards inventive and original approaches to these problems with $500,000 in scholarships and grants.

The first two challenges will cover the topics of land/water (Challenge #1) and air/climate (Challenge #2), and encourage teams to develop new means of approaching challenges ranging from deforestation to water conservation to global warming; whatever is important to them. From there, 16 teams from each challenge (8 middle school and 8 high school) will be invited to participate in the Final Challenge, where they’ll reach outside their local communities and see how their ideas can impact the world.

“We’re anxious to see what this third year brings,” says Lexus group vice president and general manager Mark Templin. “The competition is getting tougher as we see the teams working harder to plan and implement innovative, creative and effective programs.  It’s clear that the Challenge is making a difference, and it’s encouraging to know that we’re inspiring the next generation to become responsible stewards of the environment.”

Last year, close to 800 teams comprised of over 5,100 students entered Lexus’ challenge. The grand-prize winning team developed a solar-powered biodiesel processor that converts and recycles used vegetable oil from local restaurants into useable biodiesel fuel. Another winner sought to aid Haitian refugees by sending solar powered ovens with seedlings and “green” recipe ideas in the wake of a devastating hurricane season.

The Lexus Eco Challenge benefits the participating students and teachers, as well as their schools and surrounding communities. Beyond providing grant money and supplementary educational materials to schools and teachers, the challenge encourages students to educate and actively participate in their local communities. Though the students are certainly thinking global, some of their most important work is accomplished right in their own back yards.

By inspiring the next generation of leaders, both in the competition and in the classroom, Lexus hopes that environmental issues of today will soon become a thing of the past. In all, Lexus has given over two million dollars to the pioneering young students, teachers and school districts who are participating and confidently tackling the environmental challenges of today, and tomorrow.

Registration for the first round of challenges ends this November 6^th (Land/Water Challenge) and January 19^th, 2010 (Air/Climate Challenge). Advancing teams will participate in the Final Challenge in mid February of next year. For more information on the Lexus Eco Challenge, and details about how to register your team of aspiring environmentalists, go online to www.scholastic.com/lexus.