The FINANCIAL -- Sixteen student teams from 11 states have been named winners in the second round of the fifth annual Lexus Eco Challenge, an educational program and contest that inspires and empowers young people to learn about the environment and take action to improve it, according to Toyota Motor. Lexus will award a total of $500,000 in grants and scholarships throughout this year’s program.

Students across the country demonstrated their commitment to the planet with programs addressing air and climate issues. Each winning team has earned $10,000 in scholarships and grants to be shared among the students, teacher, and school. The winning teams have secured an invitation to participate in the Final Challenge with a chance to win one of two $30,000 grand prizes and eight $15,000 first-place awards.

For each of the challenges, teams are required to define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results.

The Lexus Eco Challenge is part of The Lexus Pursuit of Potential, a philanthropic initiative that generates up to $5 million in donations each year for organizations that help build, shape and improve children’s lives.

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