Yokohama to Hold “Forever Forest” Tree Planting Ceremony

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced it is to hold a tree-planting ceremony as part of its “Yokohama Forever Forest” project on 11 November 2007 at its Hiratsuka Factory. About 3,500 people, including local residents and employees of the Yokohama Rubber Group and their families will plant 30,000 trees that day. Professor Emeritus Akira Miyawaki of Yokohama National University will supervise the planting, which will be followed by various events including a discussion on stage between Mr. Tadashi Tateuchi, a noted automotive journalist, and former F1 driver Mr. Ukyo Katayama.

The “Yokohama Forever Forest” is part of the Yokohama Rubber Group’s environmental policy, and is seen as a strong way of reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Over the next 10 years, the Hiratsuka Factory, six other Japanese plants and 11 plants at overseas affiliates will plant a total of 500,000 trees, creating about 100,000 m2 (about 25 acres) of new forests.