Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) is a non profit organization focused on Ideas Worth Sharing. During an April 22, 2010, gathering of the Lexus Hybrid Living Community and TED Community the topics of ‘transportation, cuisine, sustainable cities and architecture’ were brought to the forefront.
TED members (50) were given the opportunity via short videos and whiteboard displays to offer ways to reduce carbon emissions. John Ravitch won the competition and Lexus presented Ravitch with a one year lease of a Lexus HS 250h.
According to a Toyota, press release the Eco Village created by Lexus brought together technology leaders who are forward thinking and choose to find ways to enhance vehicle technology so that transportation does not do irreparable damage to the environment. “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.”
John Ravitch, VP Global Business Development, IDEO, won with the idea of “One Dashboard for Life”. His concept would make it possible for carbon output to be measured from three output areas: vehicle, work, and home. The simplicity factor of the concept is what won the judges over.
For striking a balance of simplicity and brilliance, Ravitch, receives a year to experience Lexus HS 250h–Lexus luxury with a hybrid engine. When noting the pairing of Ravitch and the HS 250h it is apparent that there is chemistry in the pairing just as Ravitch found a balance of brilliance and simplicity Lexus 250h finds a balances of ‘luxury and sustainability’.
