By Justin Berkowitz
May 8, 2008 -
We've don't pay that much attention to automakers' charitable contributions. While we're pro pro bono and love largess, we get hundreds of press releases each year, all touting contributions to causes from adult literacy to wounded veterans of Ford Granadas. Cynics might suggest that these payments are all drawn from carmakers' PR budgets, but we couldn't possibly comment. Well, in this case, we will. After Toyota's $20m contribution to the Audubon Society stirred-up a hornet's nest of questions surrounding SUVs and global warming, ToMoCo has announced the donation of $1m– and five vehicles– to the Florida Everglades National Park. This new donation is also targeted to "environmental education initiatives" rather than, say, culling gators. This is about as obvious as greenwashing gets, but moral relativists have already clicked through. And we agree: it's better for the Everglades to get some dough from Toyota than not. Victor vado share a little spolium.
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POWERED
May 8th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Yup, I’m 100% with you here Justin. Better something tainted (but with no strings attached) than nothing at all.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am
My wife is a fund raising executive - I’ve heard of horrible scenarios much worse than this (wealthy men convicted of domestic abuse washing their sins by trying to write substantial checks to abuse shelters).
I see nothing wrong with what Toyota did.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:30 am
As much as I’d like to bash yota for something, there’s nothing to see here…move along people.
Seems like a worthy cause to me.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
It is better than this: http://www.wvuf.org/news/072001-toyota.htm
which occured just before Rockefeller pushed thru the hybrid tax break.
Plus Park rangers driving Toyotas will be good PR.